Detroit

Lions

Campbell spoke in a dejected tone when asked about the Lions’ safety duo returning to practice, particularly when discussing Joseph’s outlook. Campbell said Joseph did not suffer a setback, but stopped short of fully explaining the situation. It sounds like Joseph’s recovery stalled. The training staff was focused on strengthening Joseph’s knee, “but there was a little time there where we weren’t able to do everything we needed to do.” The Lions will not ask Joseph to play until he gets his knee as strong as it can possibly be, “and he feels comfortable.” Branch could return to practice in the coming weeks, but at this point, Joseph’s career status seems like it might be up in the air.

Bachie logged 157 defensive snaps and 260 special teams snaps with the Titans last season. He has not played at all defensively for Detroit, but logged 32 special teams snaps. He could return via the practice squad.

He’ll replace Avonte Maddox, who heads to injured reserve. Fitzgerald, a 23-year-old UDFA, joins a safety room with Chuck Clark and Thomas Harper that is just trying to hold on until Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are healthy.

Maddox was carted from the field with a foot injury in Thursday’s loss to the Bills. The veteran DB has started both games for the Lions this season due to the injury to Brian Branch (Achilles). Safety Thomas Harper, who played on 33 snaps last week, is the next man up to replace Maddox.

Moore was released in May after requesting a trade and has been a free agent ever since, without even a visit to his name. Garafolo reports multiple teams have inquired on Moore and he’s expected to sign in the near future.

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, Breer was quick to point out the Lions’ defensive struggles. Detroit has allowed 917 yards and 71 points in two games. Breer noted that while the Lions are dealing with injuries in the secondary, that doesn’t excuse their problems in the running game. Detroit has allowed 294 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns this year. While it’s still early in the season, Breer says the Lions defensive performance isn’t a “one-off” and that it’s been “messy” for a while. It was a stark contrast from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport’s take on the Pat McAfee show earlier this week where he said, “My guess is the Lions are going to be fine.” Lions HC Dan Campbell has pulled the plug on his offensive coordinator midseason twice in five years, but has afforded his defensive coordinators a longer leash. Sheppard was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn was hired by the Jets prior to the 2025 season.

Williams continues to be primarily utilized as a deep threat in the Detroit offense, which is not the development fantasy managers were expecting following offseason reports that his route tree would be expanded in the new year. The mounting injuries along the offensive line have limited Goff’s time in the pocket to the point where Williams rarely has enough time for his routes to develop, leading to the down production through two weeks. Whether either of those two variables changes in the immediate future remains to be seen, leaving us to treat Williams as nothing more than an upside WR3 in the interim. He will be a difficult start in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets.

LaPorta combined with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs to be the primary targets for quarterback Jared Goff on a night where relentless pressure from the Bills forced the offense to primarily attack the intermediate areas of the field. That could be the norm for this offense moving forward considering the mounting injuries along their offensive line, which are likely to be felt the most against opponents with a legitimate pass rush. That may not be the case in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets, a team that is likely to also utilize elevated rates of zone coverage. LaPorta has had stark man-zone splits throughout his career and could see less volume due to matchup. He’ll be a low-end TE1 against the Jets.

St. Brown did not catch his first pass until six minutes left in the second quarter but was the primary cog of the offense after the break as the Lions worked to overcome multiple 17-point deficits. He found paint for the first time on the team’s first possession after the break before adding a second in the two-minute drill from 27 yards out. St. Brown now has 209 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions through two games an looks every bit of the elite WR1 fantasy managers invested a first-round pick into this offseason. Although volume through the air might be more difficult to come by in Week 3, St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 when the Lions host the Jets in Detroit.

Gibbs was effectively the entire game plan out of the gates, scoring the team’s only first-half touchdown from 11 yards out in the second quarter. He would be used far less after the break as the Lions attempted to come back from multiple 17-point deficits, although the six receptions on eight targets and a touchdown through the air helped push his counting stats into clear RB1 territory for the second consecutive week to start the season. Fantasy managers that were lucky enough to secure the 1.01 in drafts this offseason are sure to be content with the early returns. Gibbs will once again be an elite fantasy option when the Lions host the Jets in Week 3.