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Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Monitor Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s health: The Lions’ top wide receiver suffered an ankle injury after just four plays and did not return to the game.
Detroit’s wide receiver rotation has been steady all season, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams each playing over 89% of the offensive snaps prior to this week. Kalif Raymond has typically handled just over half of the snaps when healthy, with Issac TeSlaa logging just over a quarter of the reps across 11 personnel and seeing extra work when Raymond has been sidelined.
The Lions came into this game dealing with multiple injuries at the position. Raymond missed the entire week of practice with an ankle injury and was ruled out Wednesday, while TeSlaa was limited by a hand problem but was ultimately active. To help fill the void, Detroit signed Tom Kennedy from the practice squad. Kennedy has played in 24 games for the Lions since 2019 and has 14 career receptions.
St. Brown suffered his injury at the start of Detroit’s second drive. He was quickly labeled as doubtful and ruled out after the break. TeSlaa had already stepped into Raymond’s outside role in three-receiver sets and, after St. Brown left, handled those snaps in two-receiver sets as well. Kennedy became the Lions’ slot receiver with 11 personnel and emerged as a frequent target for Jared Goff, while TeSlaa found the end zone.
If St. Brown’s injury proves serious, Raymond would be a good option once healthy. He played the second-most slot snaps for Detroit before this week and would likely take over St. Brown’s role in both two- and three-wide sets. When St. Brown last missed a game (Week 5 of the 2023 season), Raymond handled primary duties. However, if both St. Brown and Raymond are unavailable, Tom Kennedy remains the slot option.
Detroit dug deep into their tight end depth chart: The Lions entered the game without their top two options at the position.
Sam LaPorta was placed on injured reserve after Week 10 due to back surgery and is unlikely to return this season. His backup, Brock Wright, missed the week’s practices with a neck injury and did not play. Through the first nine weeks, LaPorta and Wright were on the field together for 185 of their 186 snaps at 12 personnel, and one of the two handled 272 of 273 snaps at 11 personnel. Ross Dwelley had played just 39 snaps, 37 of which came in three-receiver sets.
Dwelley served as the Lions’ best tight end in this game. Anthony Firkser was named from the practice squad and played in some passing situations, while undrafted rookie Zach Horton was also called up to a hybrid fullback role. Both Dwelley and Firkser recorded a reception. Without LaPorta – and then Wright – Detroit wasn’t prepared to showcase the position nearly as much in the passing game.
As long as LaPorta and St. Brown remain out, the Lions will send a greater share of touches to Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams.
Jos Jacobs returns for the Packers: Jacobs missed Week 12 due to a knee injury.
Jacobs opened the season by playing at least 65% of the offensive snaps each week. A calf injury in October reduced his workload to 53-59% from weeks 7 through 9. He briefly returned to normal before missing most of week 11 and all of week 12 with a knee problem.
Emmanuel Wilson has been Green Bay’s primary backup since Week 3, playing ahead of Chris Brooks. Wilson recorded 28 carries and two receptions last week – far more than the Packers typically return a single – largely because the team knew they wouldn’t need him as much in this game.
Jacobs’ role this week was similar to his usage from weeks 7-9. He dominated the rushing work early on, but came off the field due to several passing situations. Brooks again added third downs, just like last week. Wilson can reclaim more of those snaps later in the season, but Brooks came into this game fresher and filled the role.
Jacobs remains a fantasy starter going forward, with Wilson still establishing himself as the handcuff despite Week 12’s quick split. Ideally, Jacobs’ quick rate will rise again next week, now that he has had longer time to recover.
Packers wide receivers shine despite injuries: The Packers’ top six wide receivers entered the week with injuries, but that didn’t stop the group from finding the end zone four times.
Romeo Doubs (wrist) and Christian Watson (knee) have been the Packers’ top receivers in recent seasons and were the top two in playing time in this game. Both appeared on the injury report during the week, but were able to train fully.
Dontayvion Wicks (calf) opened the week on a limited basis in practice, continuing to operate as Green Bay’s slot receiver in three-receiver sets while at times mixing in two-receiver groups. Last season he produced one breakout game with five catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns while falling under 50 yards in every other outing. This year followed a similar pattern, with him being held under 50 yards in every meet before this week. He spent most of the fourth quarter on a 5-78-2 line until the 16-yard reception.
Jayden Reed was limited in practice all week with foot and shoulder injuries, and the Packers kept him on injured reserve for one more game. Matthew Golden missed his second straight game with a wrist injury, while Savion Williams was ruled out Wednesday with a foot problem. Malik Heath and Bo Melton filled in as fourth and fifth wide receivers.
Golden has already fallen to fourth on the depth chart and will likely drop to fifth once Reed returns. It will be difficult for him to regain meaningful playing time after Wicks’ performance, making Golden a drop in all redraft formats. Reed could also be called back into action, especially considering how well the wide receivers played in this game. He normally only plays with 11 men, but there’s a good chance he only handles some of those snaps during the first few weeks he’s back.
For now, Watson is the only Green Bay wide receiver who can be trusted in fantasy, and then only in the right matchup.
Josh Whyle takes the top tight end spot for Green Bay: Whyle was the Packers’ top tight end with 11 men.
When Tucker Kraft suffered his season-ending injury, Luke Musgrave initially stepped into the starting role. John FitzPatrick worked as his backup, while Whyle started the season on the practice squad and joined the active roster after Kraft went down.
Musgrave played 76.5% of snaps in Week 10 and opened Week 11 with a similar workload, but the Packers shifted to FitzPatrick and Whyle as the game progressed. FitzPatrick led the three-man rotation last week, and Whyle’s role has risen sharply each week. In this game, he played at least 50% of the snaps in every personnel group and situation. Musgrave’s overall speed remained close as he continued to handle more of the 12-man run snaps.
Musgrave was the Packers’ only tight end with a reception – a gain of 23 yards – but it wouldn’t be surprising if Whyle became the main receiving option for the rest of the season. The fantasy upside could still be limited, as Green Bay could lean more heavily on 10 personnel at third once the wide receiver room gets healthier.
Various comments
- The Packers signed wide receiver Will Sheppard from their own practice squad on Wednesday. He served as the team’s sixth wide receiver and was not involved in the offense.
- Green Bay waived kicker Lucas Havrisik on Wednesday with the return of Brandon McManus.
- The Lions waived running back Craig Reynolds on Wednesday. Detroit kept five running backs on the roster this season, but typically one was injured most weeks. Reynolds will likely sign with the team’s practice squad.
- Backup running backs Sione Vaki (ankle and thumb) and Jacob Saylors (back and shoulder) were limited in practice all week, but both were active and contributed to Reynolds’ release.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys
Available soon!
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Available soon!
Table notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. These plays have been removed from the other three statistics.
- Objectives may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be the result of an obviously thrown pass, where the NFL could give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data does not.
- Carries are only possible on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles do not count toward the total number of carries in the game.
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