Nate Burleson might have his arm in cast after getting injured in a single car crash, but that certainly is not stopping him from predicting what will happen when he returns. Prior to getting injured, Burleson was the No. 2 option for Matthew Stafford behind Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions receiver predicts he will return to be even better.

Prior to breaking both bones in his left forearm, Burleson had 239 yards on 19 catches through three games. A timetable for Burleson's return has not been confirmed, but the wide receiver is expected to have his cast removed on Thursday and will be in a splint for the next week. According to Burleson, he is already running and will be back sooner than people expect. When he does return, Burleson is predicting a 1,000-plus receiving season.

"I anticipate being out there pretty darn soon," Burleson said, via ESPN.com. "Put it like this. When I get back, I'm still going to try and go after that 1,000 yards. So that means I've got to have enough games to do it, which means I should be back soon."

Detroit will certainly welcome those numbers. So far, Burleson's replacement, Ryan Broyles, have not lived up to the expectations. During Sunday's win against the Chicago Bears, Broyles was active on 43 snaps. He did not record a single catch. The Lions like to spread the ball around, so the performance came as a surprise, leaving many Lions fans to wonder what is wrong with the second-year receiver.

Broyles is returning from major knee surgery after tearing his ACL last December. The Lions originally intended to ease the receiver back into football slowly, but the Burleson injury hurried the development. That could be the reason for the poor performance, but fantasy owners should not give up that quickly. Broyles is just now getting back to practice, so chemistry with Stafford is still lacking. However, until he proves himself, it seems only natural to place the receiver back on waivers.

The better Burleson replacement has been Brandon Pettigrew. The tight end stepped up big against the Bears. Through three games, Pettigrew had just five catches for 38 yards. Against the Bears, He put up 54 yards on seven catches. Stafford was 7-for-7 with the tight end.

Burleson could easily be back in the next few weeks. It is hard to expect big numbers from a receiver after returning from a broken arm, but Burleson is surely confident.