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The Detroit Lions are getting through their Thursday practice for Week 16, and running back Kerryon Johnson appears to be on track for a return this weekend against the Denver Broncos. Johnson is still on injured reserve, but beat writer Chris Burke thought his practice work suggested Johnson would probably be able to start this Sunday.
Lions haven’t made anything official yet but based on the little we get to see of practice, I’d definitely plan on Kerryon Johnson rejoining the lineup Sunday (and probably starting).
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) December 19, 2019
Fantasy football analysis: Lions RBs Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough
A return for Johnson would shake up the Lions backfield. Bo Scarbrough had been starting, with J.D. McKissic getting passing down work behind him. If Johnson returns, Scarbrough would appear to lose his fantasy value for this final week and be worth dropping outside of keeper leagues.
If Johnson does play, it’s not the best matchup for him. He’d be worth a start, but he’s not a must start facing a stout Broncos defense in his first game back. You’d want to go in with relatively low expectations given the long layoff.