Lions vs. Giants Week 8 Scouting Report: Youth movement in New York

2 players to watch for the Lions

Ty Johnson – Kerryon Johnson’s trip to injured reserve robs the Lions of their most talented running back and raises question marks in the backfield for the umpteenth time since the turn of the millennium.

It also thrusts the rookie Johnson into the pole position on the depth chart. Expecting Johnson to rekindle the Lions’ dim running game by himself is unreasonable at this point and the Lions figure to employ a committee approach on the ground. Still, this week’s game represents a great opportunity for the sixth-rounder to make some headway until the Lions bring in outside help or someone else on the roster usurps him.

Will Harris – Another rookie who figures to benefit from the departure of an incumbent, the trade of Diggs may have spoken directly to the Lions’ confidence in Harris. At safety, he has played under 40% of the teams’ defensive snaps so far this year, but that number figures to jump significantly with Diggs now playing over 2,000 miles away.

Watch how the Lions deploy their safeties, in general, this week. Facing a rookie quarterback and a lack of opposing deep threats, how often will the Lions play just one safety in favor of more players close to the line of scrimmage? Those types of formations could also affect Harris’ playing time.