The NFL season is nearing its end. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 17 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Amon-Ra St. Brown missed some practice time this week due to injury. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Amon-Ra St. Brown Playing Today?
Update:Â St. Brown is ACTIVE
St. Brown appeared on Monday’s estimated injury report as a non-participant with a knee injury. Head coach Dan Campbell addressed the situation on Tuesday, clarifying that St. Brown is dealing with knee “irritation” that surfaced following the Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Campbell emphasized that the team remains optimistic about the wide receiver’s availability for Thursday’s Christmas Day showdown.
The Lions’ star receiver upgraded to limited participation at Tuesday’s walkthrough session, a positive development on the short week. St. Brown remained limited again at Wednesday’s practice and carries a questionable designation into Thursday’s game. Despite the tag, expectations throughout the week have consistently pointed toward St. Brown suiting up against Minnesota.
St. Brown’s recent injury history provides context for why concerns should be minimal. The veteran wide receiver went DNP-DNP-DNP at practice two weeks ago with a low ankle sprain suffered on Thanksgiving and still played the following week against the Dallas Cowboys. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that St. Brown “always plays,” referencing how he handled the high-ankle sprain situation.
St. Brown himself addressed reporters this week and stated he expects to play in Thursday’s matchup.
The Lions need a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, making this a must-win situation for Detroit. It seems highly unlikely that minor knee irritation would sideline one of the league’s toughest players in a game with playoff implications on the line.
St. Brown’s Fantasy Football Outlook
St. Brown almost had the assist of the year on Sunday, but that play got called back and he was otherwise quiet in the loss to the Steelers (54 yards on nine targets).
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You take the punch and move on. That’s not fun analysis, but it’s accurate. St. Brown has hit at least 14.5 expected points in each of his last nine healthy games and he’s been a producer over expectation for as long as he’s been in the league.
St. Brown averages 10 targets and 92 receiving yards per game in his career against the Vikes and he saw a pair of end zone targets when they met in Week 9 this season. I’ll say he lives up to those averages and solidifies his Round 1 status for redraft 2026 purposes.
— PFSN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe
