Detroit Lions

Mekhi Wingo

DT

Wingo upgraded from a limited participant in the Wednesday and Thursday sessions to full participation in Friday's practice. The defensive tackle has managed to recover from a groin injury just in time to suit up for a depth role with the Lions' defense in Sunday's contest.

Christian Izien

S

Izien has dealt with a groin injury throughout Week 1, logging limited participation in three consecutive practices. It is unclear how much the issue inhibits the reserve defensive back. If Izien must miss Sunday's contest, the Lions will likely elevate a defensive back from the practice squad to the active roster to fill in, as both Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) will miss the contest.

Derrick Moore

DE

Moore was limited at practice earlier in the week with a hamstring issue, but he was able to log a full practice Friday and will be available in Week 1. Detroit used a second-round pick on the rookie back in April, so it wouldn't be surprising if he got significant playing time right away.

Tom Kennedy

WR

Kennedy initially missed the cut for Detroit's 53-man roster for 2026, but he's now back in the fold with Week 1 looming. He could be tasked with punt-return duties Sunday versus the Saints.

Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

CB

Rakestraw went down with a leg injury during a practice on Aug. 20. The cornerback was also dealing with an upper-body injury from even earlier in training camp. Rakestraw has cleared himself of both issues and should be all set to practice throughout Week 1 in anticipation of the Lions' Sunday contest with the Saints.

Malcolm Rodriguez

LB

Rodriguez has recovered from the ankle injury he suffered in early August. The linebacker was not listed on the injury report and should be all set to suit up for Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Saints.

Jimmy Rolder

LB

Rolder was week-to-week throughout training camp with a hamstring issue. The linebacker was able to log a full practice during the Lions' first Week 1 session and should be all set to suit up for Sunday's contest against the Saints.

D.J. Reed

CB

Reed dealt with a minor groin issue throughout training camp. The starting outside cornerback for the Lions is healthy and ready to log full sessions in the practices leading up to Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Saints.

Cade Mays

C

Mays was placed on IR during the Aug. 30 cutdown day. The center fractured his wrist during the preseason, but is eyeing a quick month and a half of downtime before being able to return to protecting Jared Goff. While Mays remains on IR, Juice Scruggs will be the starting safety for the Lions.

Sam LaPorta

TE

LaPorta missed the Lions' final eight games last season with a back injury and then dealt with a hip issue this summer. He returned to practice in late August and is ready to go for Sunday's season opener against the Saints. LaPorta is expected to compete with Jameson Williams for targets behind alpha WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown this season, and the tight end will likely be a big a presence in the red zone.

Payton Turner

DE

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Joe Bachie

LB

The linebacker spent training camp and the preseason with the Lions, got released on cutdown day and then signed to the practice squad. His promotion should be an indication that he'll at least play a special-teams role in Week 1 against the Saints. Bachie has played on more than 200 special-teams snaps in each of the last three NFL seasons.

Sione Vaki

RB

Isiah Pacheco was signed over the offseason to serve as the Lions' RB2 behind Gibbs, but he injured his back and is opening the regular season on injured reserve. Pacheco remains without a firm timetable for return, so it's Vaki and Saylors who will see elevated roles on game days. The inexperienced duo has combined for nine career regular-season carries. Gibbs is expected to have a heavy 2026 workload with David Montgomery out of town and now with the Texans.

Tay Martin

WR

Martin is slotted behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa on the wide receiver depth chart, with Kendrick Law (knee) on season-ending injured reserve. The Lions could elevate Tom Kennedy or Lucky Jackson from the practice squad to the active roster for game day. However, for now, Martin is in line to operate in an elevated role in Detroit's offense, especially if one of Brown, Williams or TeSlaa were to miss time.

Jacob Saylors

RB

Saylors had a strong training camp, and across three preseason games he logged 31 carries for 187 yards while catching five passes (on nine targets) for 40 yards. With Isiah Pacheco (back) on injured reserve with no clear return timeline, Saylors is poised to operate in an elevated role in the offense behind Jahmyr Gibbs, with 2024 fourth-rounder Sione Vaki also in the mix for backfield touches.

Jahmyr Gibbs

RB

After being contained on the first two of the first-team offense's eight drives on the day, Gibbs delivered his biggest gain of the day on the Lions' third possession. On the second play of that drive, Gibbs followed a block from right guard Tate Ratledge, then found daylight while bouncing out to the outside and raced past cornerback Avonte Maddox for a 59-yard house call. He then finished practice with his second touchdown of the day, taking a fourth-and-1 pitch to the outside and following a Penei Sewell block to beat multiple defenders to the pylon. The two scoring jaunts were demonstrative of Gibbs' trademark explosiveness in open space, but now that David Montgomery is in Houston, the Lions are likely to turn to Gibbs to add more work to his plate in the form of increased usage in goal-line situations and as a runner on early downs. Detroit signed Isiah Pacheco this offseason with the goal of having him take on some of those functions that Montgomery had handled, but Pacheco won't be available until Week 5 at the earliest while he recovers from a back injury as well as an MCL sprain.

Jameson Williams

WR

Touted as a standout performer during the Lions' earlier workouts of the summer, Williams authored another strong performance in a scrimmage-style practice to wrap up camp. On the Lions' opening drive alone, Williams beat cornerback Rock Ya-Sin for a 22-yard gain on the first play of the day, reeled off a 18-yard gain on a screen play to convert a third-and-12 and evaded tight coverage to make a sliding catch on a five-yard pass to the back end of the zone on a fourth-and-goal. Williams recorded another reception on a post route later in the day to convert a third-and-10, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. While No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown remains Detroit's clear top target in 2026, Williams should still be in store for reliable weekly volume in a consolidated passing game that also includes Sam LaPorta (hip) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Heading into the summer, No. 3 wideout Isaac TeSlaa looked like a potential candidate to carve out a more notable role in his second season, but he didn't record a reception in either of his two preseason appearances and had a number of underwhelming performances during camp practices, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Jared Goff

QB

Head coach Dan Campbell elected to put the offense in a tough spot to begin the final session of training camp, but Goff didn't wilt from the challenge. He found Jameson Williams for a 22-yard gain early on the drive to give the offense some breathing room, then completed five more pass attempts before an incompletion set up a fourth-and-goal from the five-yard line. Goff evaded some pressure on fourth down and connected with a tightly-covered Williams in the back of the end zone to wrap up the drive. The 31-year-old quarterback threw for another touchdown later in the session, finding top target Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 16-yard score on the second-to-last drive of the day. While his lack of rushing ability will likely prevent him from emerging as a truly elite fantasy option in 2026, Goff is about as steady of a performer as it gets at the quarterback position, as he's turned in three straight seasons of at least 4,500 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. The Detroit defense is still looking suspect heading into the upcoming season -- especially in the secondary -- which could result in the offense being involved in frequent shootouts that would enhance the fantasy value of Goff and the team's other skill-position players.

Isiah Pacheco

RB

Pacheco was placed on injured reserve with his back issue and will miss at least the first four games of the regular season. It sounds like his absence could extend beyond Week 5 when he's first eligible to play. In the meantime, Jacob Saylors looks like the direct backup to Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield. Gibbs could see some heavy snaps this season after the departure of steady veteran running mate David Montgomery over the offseason.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

WR

St. Brown was particularly impressive on the Lions' second-to-last series of the day, when he had gains of 14, seven and four yards on receptions before beating cornerback Rock Ya-Sin on a post route for a 16-yard score to end the drive. He nearly added another touchdown to his ledger on the final drive, as he corralled a jump ball over Ya-Sin in the end zone before he was ruled to have bobbled the ball prior to stepping out of bounds. The performance marked an impressive end to what Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site labeled a "really strong camp" for St. Brown, who is once again ticketed for a high-volume role in the Detroit passing game and profiles as a strong first-round pick in fantasy drafts.

Tyler Conklin

TE

Conklin failed to make the 53-man roster over the weekend but is quickly back with the team in a series of moves. The 31-year-old Conklin caught seven passes for 101 scoreless yards across 13 regular-season games with the Chargers last season and will serve as depth behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright with the Lions.

Giovanni Manu

OT

Manu continues to recover from a knee injury he sustained in October of 2025. He's required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season, meaning the earliest he can return is Week 5 against the Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Kerby Joseph

S

Joseph was placed on the active/PUP list in late July and missed the entirety of the preseason due to a lingering knee injury he suffered during Week 6 of the 2025 campaign. The safety will need to miss the first four weeks of the season at least before he is eligible to return to the Lions' active roster. With Brian Branch (Achilles) also on the reserve/PUP list, Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark will likely be the starting safety duo for the Lions' Week 1 contest against the Saints.

Brian Branch

S

Branch spent the entirety of training camp on the active/PUP list, enabling the safety to be placed on the reserve list to begin the regular season. The 24-year-old will now be required to miss the first four weeks of the season at least before he can return to the Lions' active roster. With fellow safety Kerby Joseph (knee) also on the reserve/PUP list, the tandem of Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark will likely start the season in the Lions' secondary.

Jake Bates

PK

The Lions scored four touchdowns on the afternoon but failed on a two-point conversion on one of them. Bates hasn't looked great this preseason and converted a subpar 79.4 percent of his FG attempts in 2025, but as yet there's been no suggestion his spot is in jeopardy. Detroit's high-powered offense offers Bates a reliable floor in terms of PAT volume, but the unit's efficiency also limits his FG volume, and his fantasy ceiling -- he reached double-digit points in just seven of 17 regular-season games last season.