Anzalone leaves with shoulder injury

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.

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 (ankle) is active for today's game against the Cardinals. DE Michael Brockers (knee) and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (shoulder) are also active. The presence of Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin likely keeps LB Josh Woods from being IDP relevant after 2 straight weeks of nice tackle production. This is a defense to avoid if possible in IDP lineups.

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.

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.

The Saints drafted Florida LB Alex Anzalone in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Anzalone posted uninspiring numbers in college while dealing with multiple shoulder injuries and a broken left arm. He took a medical redshirt as a 2015 junior after his 2nd shoulder injury and then tallied just 53 total tackles in his lone starting season. Anzalone flashed his athleticism in Senior Bowl workouts and at the Combine, however. He ranked 77th percentile in the 40 and 86th percentile in the 3-cone drill at 6'3 and 241 pounds. We'll see how soon Anzalone can get on the field in a LB corps that has been seeking answers for a while.