Detroit Lions Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Lions LB Alex Anzalone put in a full week of practice and doesn't appear on the final injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears. That means he's ready to return after missing Week 13 with a hand injury. Anzalone's return should decrease the playing time for rookie LB Jack Campbell, who got a boost with Anzalone out. Campbell did notch 9 tackles (5 solo) on just 61% playing time in the Week 11 meeting with the Bears but shouldn't be central to your Week 14 IDP plans. Check our Week 14 LB rankings to see where both Lions LBs land.

Lions LB Alex Anzalone is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Saints with a hand injury that kept him out of practice all week. He hurt the hand late in the Thanksgiving loss to the Packers. DC Aaron Glenn said Friday that LB Jack Campbell will take over the MLB role and call plays in the defensive huddle. That gives Campbell significant fantasy upside, especially in a game that could find RB Alvin Kamara leading New Orleans in receiving. We've boosted Campbell into LB2 territory of our Week 13 IDP rankings.

Lions rookie DB Brian Branch returned Sunday after missing two games with a sprained ankle. But returned to a smaller role than what he left. The second-round pick played 68% and 69% of snaps the first two games. That grew to 100% in Week 3, after the team lost S C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Branch again started in Week 4 and appeared headed for similar use but left that game early with the ankle injury. But in his return game against the Ravens, the rookie played just 50% of snaps. He closed the practice week with a full Friday workout and carried no injury designation into the game. So we're not betting the ankle limited his time. Instead, it appears the Lions preferred to keep more LBs on the field and run fewer alignments of 5+ DBs. That left Branch, the nickel CB, less involved. Based on how Detroit has run its defense otherwise, we're guessing it was a specific shift for Lamar Jackson. It did not work. Branch's usage will make him tough to trust in Week 8 IDP lineups for an upside Raiders matchup. We'll watch for some indication that his playing time will increase.

Lions CB Jerry Jacobs is inactive for today's game against the Ravens. He was a late addition to the injury report with a knee issue. Pregame warm-ups found him unready to play.

Lions DB Brian Branch is off the final injury report and ready to play Sunday against the Ravens. The rookie missed the past two games after suffering an ankle sprain against the Packers in Week 4. He finished this week with a full Friday practice, though, and no game designation. Branch said earlier in the week he expected to play. Bet on a return to full playing time. Although he's listed as a safety on most fantasy platforms, Branch has primarily played slot CB. That should keep him busy in this matchup, with Nelson Agholor, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews all seeing significant time there. We have bumped the rookie way up our Week 7 DB rankings.

The Lions didn't practice Wednesday but listed DB Brian Branch as a non-participant in their estimated injury report. That doesn't bode well for his Week 5 status. It's been nearly a week since Branch left the Thursday night win at Green Bay with an ankle sprain. We'll see about his status heading into the weekend, but plan on starting someone else in that slot of your IDP lineup. S Kerby Joseph (hip) was listed as limited. He's a candidate to return after missing the past two games.

Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson was carted off the practice field Monday morning after suffering a non-contact knee injury, according to multiple reports. We'll await an official diagnosis, but this obviously sounds pretty serious. A healthy Gardner-Johnson would be a candidate for both the primary slot CB role and some safety work. We'll see about Detroit's defensive plans going forward.

Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the injury doesn't appear to be serious, according to team sources.

Lions S DeShon Elliott (concussion) and LB Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow) are active for today's game against the Giants. Rodriguez put in full practices all week but still entered the day questionable, indicating that his elbow is not all the way back. He missed last week's game with the injury after playing just 26% in the game where he hurt it (but returned). Rodriguez looks too risky for most IDP lineups. Elliott should be OK to use at normal levels.

Lions S Kerby Joseph (concussion) is officially questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears. HC Dan Campbell said Friday, though, that he's "good to go." LB Malcolm Rodriguez (elbow) is also questionable. He returned to last week's game after sustaining the injury but played limited snaps. Rodriguez will be a high-risk play in IDP lineups this week.

Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez injured his right elbow on the 1st possession of Sunday's win over the Packers. He returned to the game with a brace on it, but wound up playing much less than usual (19 snaps). The rookie trailed Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes in that category. "He was able to go back in, do a little bit but I know he irritated it," HC Dan Campbell told the Detroit Free Press on Monday. "We’ll see where he feels over the next few days." Plan on not having Rodriguez in your Week 10 IDP lineups. We'll see whether Barnes can be an option. Anzalone has spent all season as a full-timer.

Lions S Tracy Walker injured his left leg in the 1st half of Sunday's game against the Vikings. The team has already ruled him out. We'll see about the severity.

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson is questionable for Sunday's game after missing 2 practices this week with a thigh injury. He did return for a limited Friday workout, though, and said he expects to play against the Vikings. "I'm feeling good; it'll be fine," the rookie said after practice, according to SB Nation's Jeremy Reisman. HC Dan Campbell added that he doesn't mind Hutchinson's missed practice time in preparing for the game. "It's always better to practice, so you get the looks, the live looks. But I'm not concerned because he's mentally -- he's in it," Campbell said. We'll confirm Hutchinson's status Sunday morning.

The Lions on Monday placed LB Alex Anzalone on IR with the right-shoulder injury he suffered Sunday. That knocks him out for the final 3 games of the season. Anzalone has had issues with that shoulder in the past. We'll see about his status heading into 2022. Anzalone is set to hit free agency in March. As for this year's Lions, Josh Woods would be a primary fill-in but also suffered a shoulder injury against the Cardinals. We'll see about his status this week. Jalen Reeves-Maybin looks like the best bet for playing time among Detroit LBs.

Lions LB Alex Anzalone left Sunday's win over the Cardinals with a shoulder injury and did not return. That marks the 2nd straight game in which Anzalone has gotten hurt, following a Week 14 ankle issue that left him questionable for Sunday. It'll be tough to like him for Week 16 IDP lineups, even if he makes it back from this one. LB Josh Woods also left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury. We'll see who Detroit has available heading into next Sunday.

Lions MLB Alex Anzalone left Sunday's loss to the Broncos in the 1st half with an ankle injury. In his absence, Josh Woods led Detroit LBs in playing time at 94% and racked up a game-high 13 tackles. Rookie Derrick Barnes followed at 69%, with LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin inactive.

Lions DE Charles Harris left Sunday's game against the Bengals with a hip injury and did not return. We'll look for more details on his status early in the week.

The Lions have ruled EDGE Trey Flowers out for the 2nd game in a row. He's dealing with shoulder and knee injuries. Fellow EDGE Romeo Okwara (shouler) and DL Michael Brockers (shoulder) are questionable for Sunday's trip to Chicago. Each played through questionable tags last week, though. So we'd expect them to play.

The Lions fear CB Jeff Okudah suffered an Achilles' tendon tear in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. He'll have an MRI Monday to confirm the diagnosis. Losing Okudah would leave a defense that allowed 442 yards to San Francisco -- 311 passing -- without its top cover man. Okudah was the #3 overall pick in the 2020 draft but has dealt with multiple injuries in his young career.

Chris Burke of The Athletic believes that Lions MLB Alex Anzalone "almost certainly" will be wearing the green-dot helmet and calling defensive plays come the regular season. "Anzalone could be out there for close to 100 percent of the snaps (health willing)," Burke adds. Anzalone has history with HC Dan Campbell and DC Aaron Glenn from their shared time in New Orleans. Injuries limited Anzalone's playing time there. The 2 (of 4) seasons in which he played all 16 games found Anzalone staying on the field for just 47.2% and 50.2% of snaps. It sounds like he's headed for a lot more with these Lions, which makes Anzalone an intriguing pick at the end of IDP fantasy football drafts.