The Detroit Lions expect Matthew Stafford to play in Week 3 against the Broncos after the quarterback suffered an injury against the Vikings on Sunday. Fantasy football owners will be pleased if Stafford starts and that should help Ameer Abdullah, Joique Bell, Eric Ebron and Calvin Johnson as the team tries to get things going at 0-2.
Stafford is coming into the weekend dealing with chest and rib injuries, but according to the Detroit Free Press, Dave Birkett reports that Stafford is likely to start in Week 3. Jim Caldwell said earlier in the week that Stafford could miss some time with the injuries, but he appears on track to play against the Broncos. According to Pro Football Talk, Stafford was able to lead the weekly walkthrough for the Lions and on Thursday he was able to practice "in full" with the team.
Stafford takes a lot of hits, but he has not missed a game in four years and the Lions would very much like him to be on the field as they try and take down the Broncos. The team is 0-2 already this season and after losing to the Vikings the game against Denver is turning into a must win matchup. Stafford comes in with four TDs and three picks this season and he has 532 yards passing in two games.
The Lions offense needs to get things going and after a solid game from rookie Ameer Abdullah in Week 1, the team dialed things back in Week 2. That was more of a development of the game rather than the game plan, as the Lions had to start throwing more once they went down. Abdullah had just nine yards rushing on six carries against the Vikings and this week he could see more work. Abdullah is the de facto starter for now and fantasy owners should defer to him until Joique Bell proves he can be the lead back again.
Abdullah played great in Week 1 and the Lions expect to use him as the lead back again in Week 3, while Bell has not had much success, rushing for just 16 yards in two games. Last season Bell set a career high with 860 rushing yards and he has been a strong receiver out of the backfield, but this year he has just four receptions. Calvin Johnson and Eric Ebron are strong starters this week, as Johnson is coming off of a great game and Ebron had five catches on 10 targets with a TD in Week 2.
The Lions have been a bit nagged up in the secondary as well and the team reportedly has worked out Stevie Johnson as a potential option to come in. According to Pro Football Talk, Johnson worked out earlier this week and he comes in after missing 2013 with an ACL injury and playing with the Giants in 2014. Brown has starting experience and he has played in 55 games over his career and he had his best season in 2012 when he had eight picks for the Giants and 56 tackles. Brown was with the Texans before getting cut and he ended up with the Giants before he was released at the end of the preseason.