It’s not a huge surprise, but the Detroit Lions will be without their two best offensive players on Sunday against the Seahawks.
D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s fantasy managers have surely been thinking about backup plans for Week 4. On Friday morning Lions head coach Dan Campbell pushed those plans from thought to affirmed action, saying he does not expect Swift (shoulder/ankle) or St. Brown (right ankle) to play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
On St. Brown:
"I would say he’s out. Looks like he’s out.”"
And on Swift:
"He’s not looking good, either. I’d say he’s probably out as well.”"
Swift’s absence has been expected all week, as he added a shoulder ailment to re-injuring his ankle last week against the Minnesota Vikings.
St. Brown’s potential absence was a little more up in the air, but missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday seemed to seal his fate to miss a game. He is not expected to miss a lot of time though.
‘Next man up’ for the Detroit Lions to replace D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown
As noted by Kyle Meinke of MLive, Swift and St. Brown have accounted for 53 percent of the Lions’ offensive yards through three games along with five of their 12 touchdowns.
Jamaal Williams will of course step into the lead back role for the Lions’ in Swift’s absence, but don’t overlook the potential contributions of Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson behind him.
In St. Brown’s stead, the Lions’ pass catcher depth will be helpful to fill the void.
Campbell talked about the “next man up” mentality and mode for the Lions.
"Listen, man, that’s what it’s all about: next man up,” said Campbell. “We still got Hock, we got Chark, we got Leaf (Kalif Raymond), we got (Quintez) Cephus, we’ve got Jamaal and we got this O-line and a quarterback than can throw it. So we feel good about it.”"
DJ Chark has been dealing with a bit of an issue in the ankle he had surgically repaired last year, but it looks like he’ll play against the Seahawks.