The Detroit Lions are heading into Week 5 coming off a dominant victory over their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Detroit went into Lambeau Field and won that game on Thursday Night Football 34-20, taking over sole possession of first place in the division.
While it was certainly nice to pick up the victory, it has seemingly come at a cost. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown did not practice On Thursday afternoon for the second straight day. He is currently dealing with an abdomen injury.
This is certainly not good news for the Lions. Having the mini bye week with a few extra days to rest up and St. Brown is still not able to get on the practice field? That leads many to believe that there is real uncertainty surrounding his availability for this weekend’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
Given the differing levels of performance thus far this season by the Lions and Panthers, Detroit could be exhibiting extreme caution with their star playmaker. They should be able to handle Carolina whether he is in or out of the lineup, but they would assuredly prefer that he be playing with them.
St. Brown is off to another excellent start this season. Through four games, he has caught 26 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He either leads or is tied for the team lead in each of those three categories.
Should St. Brown not be able to play this weekend, we could see a healthy dose of Jameson Williams right off the bat. The 2022 first-round pick was suspended to start the season for gambling inside the team facility, but because of new rules and regulations that were passed, he was eligible to return to the Lions’ roster this week.
Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and Marvin Jones could see expanded roles as well. Tight end Sam LaPorta, who is off to a historic start for rookie tight ends, should remain a go-to target for Jared Goff, too.
This could also present the Lions with a chance to get rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs involved in the game plan more as a receiver. His explosiveness and athleticism would be a good replacement for St. Brown in some alignments.