The Detroit Lions released their Week 11 injury designations and they’ve ruled out one starter and listed another player as questionable.
The Detroit Lions (8-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) have released their injury designations ahead of their Week 11 matchup. Let’s take a look at Friday’s injury report and get you up to date with what we know. Note that any changes from yesterday’s report will be bolded.
Ruled OUT
- TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder)
- DT Brodric Martin (knee) — Days remaining in injury evaluation window: 4
- CB Emmanuel Moseley (pec) — Days remaining in injury evaluation window: 11
- S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle/finger) — Days remaining in evaluation window: 11
LaPorta was injured in Week 10 against the Texans, has been unable to practice all week, and has been ruled out for this game. The Lions do not view this as a long-term injury, calling him day-to-day, but they want to make sure he is fully healthy before putting him back out on the field.
With LaPorta out, Brock Wright will step into a starting TE1 role, Shane Zylstra will assume TE2 duties, and it’s anticipated that James Mitchell will likely be elevated from the practice squad for this game.
Martin, Moseley, and Melifonwu will not be active from injured reserve ahead of this game, a move that was expected based on coach Dan Campbell’s comments earlier on Friday.
“Probably not,” Campbell said of any of the three being added to the 53-man roster this week. “But I would say this, they’ve gotten better every day, and that’s kind of what we’re looking at. You look at the way they look moving, certainly, with your own eyes, and then you look at the numbers, and those guys are getting better and better, so it’s a good thing.”
A decision on Martin’s status needs to be made on Tuesday—either elevated to the active roster or kept on injured reserve, thus ending his season—while the defensive backs can get in another full week of practice before a decision on their statuses needs to be addressed.
Questionable
- LB Ben Niemann (ankle)
Niemann was not on Thursday’s injury report but he did not practice on Friday and is listed as questionable to play on Sunday. It’s not clear when or how he suffered this injury, so his status for this weekend’s game is truly up in the air.
Not listed with an injury designation
- LT Taylor Decker (shoulder)
- LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle)
- CB Carlton Davis (hand)
With no injury designation listed for Decker and Rodriguez, both are cleared to return to game action this weekend and will most likely reassume their starting roles.
Davis broke his thumb battling Amon-Ra St. Brown on Thursday, per Dave Birkett of the Free Press, and was seen at practice on Friday wearing a cast on his left hand. Davis believes he’ll be able to play through the injury while it heals up, and with no injury designation assigned to him, he’s looks good to go.
Jaguars’ injury designations
OUT
- QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder)
- RB Tank Bigsby (ankle)
Questionable
- RB Keilan Robinson (toe)
- OL Ezra Cleveland (ankle)
- DT Maason Smith (ankle)
