Amon-Ra St. Brown was listed as questionable for the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears. What happened to St. Brown and is the superstar wide receiver at risk of missing today’s game?
What Is Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Injury?
St. Brown played the entirety of last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, so it’s unclear exactly when he picked up his injury. Apparently, something happened, though, since he is listed on the Lions’ practice report with a knee issue.
St. Brown did not practice on Monday when the Lions merely held a walkthrough. He was upgraded to limited on Tuesday, then listed as full on Wednesday.
Will Amon-Ra St. Brown Play in Week 13?
ARSB is clearly trending in a positive direction. Although the Lions listed him as questionable, there doesn’t seem to be much question over his status.
On his podcast with his brother, St. Brown did not even suggest there’s a chance he wouldn’t play on Thanksgiving.
"All good though, we can restart that streak on Thursday."
Amon-Ra talks about the Lions' win over the Colts, a game where his franchise record streak of consecutive games with a receiving touchdown came to an end and he was forced into returning punts 🏈 pic.twitter.com/bJJZPr43Yy
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) November 27, 2024
The Lions are pretty transparent with injuries and will often not even give players injury designations if they know they are playing.
The questionable tag for St. Brown is likely borne out of an abundance of caution, but I am supremely confident that he plays today.
Fantasy Implications of St. Brown’s Week 13 Status
Last week, St. Brown’s eight-game streak with a touchdown reception came to an end. The talented WR wasn’t really needed much, as the Lions completely dominated the Colts on the ground and with defense.
Look for St. Brown to get back on track against a Bears pass defense allowing the fourth-highest rate of downfield completions in the league. Although St. Brown is more of an underneath guy, he can find holes in coverages downfield. This looks like a game where there will be opportunities for Jared Goff to find his main guy for chunk gains.
Given that St. Brown is less than 100%, perhaps we could see a bit more out of Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. Both players are talented, but their production has been erratic, largely due to the low-volume nature of the Lions’ passing attack. Goff has attempted more than 30 passes in a game just twice all season.
If St. Brown ever did miss time, or if he aggravates the injury in-game, we would likely see Williams alongside Tim Patrick in two-receiver sets. Typically, Kalif Raymond would be the next man up, but he’s currently on IR with a foot injury.
The real solution for the Lions would probably involve leaning more on the running backs and increased usage for Jahmyr Gibbs as a receiver.