The Lions defense was a top-10 unit in Fantasy Football over the first four weeks when Aidan Hutchinson was healthy. Thanks to a couple of touchdowns they were still top five at the halfway point in the season. But injuries decimated this defense in the second half and they were unplayable down the stretch. Their biggest addition in 2025 will be the return of a healthy Hutchinson, but they also added cornerback D.J. Reed in free agency and drafted defensive lineman Tyleik Williams in Round 1, an addition they desperately need after veteran DL Levi Onwuzurike was ruled out for the year in late July. Their biggest loss may have been defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who became the head coach of the Jets. As long as Hutchinson is himself, we expect the Lions to return to form as a top-10 defense though their schedule does feature some of the best offenses and quarterbacks in the NFL, including the Packers in Week 1, the Bears in Week 2 and the Ravens in Week 3. Don't reach for them before the final two rounds of your draft.
Fantasy News
Lions' Josh Paschal: Lands on NFI list
Rotowire
Paschal (undisclosed) was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday.
Paschal will now miss at least four games, meaning his first chance to return is Week 5 versus the Bengals. It's still unclear what the 2022 second-round pick is dealing with, but the Lions are prepared to ride the wave until he returns. They signed Marcus Davenport and re-signed Al-Quadin Muhammad to serve at defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Paschal will need to earn his starting role once he returns.
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Lions' Malcolm Rodriguez: Will miss at least four games
Rotowire
Rodriguez (knee) was placed on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday.
Rodriguez played 10 games (six starts) and produced 43 tackles (27 solo) and 2.0 sacks last season before his season ended due to a torn ACL in late November. The 2022 second-round pick should be back in action by this November if he avoids any setbacks, and his earliest chance to play will be Week 5 versus the Bengals. He likely won't start once he returns, as Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone should have those outside linebacker roles locked up.
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Lions' Alim McNeill: Begins year on PUP list
Rotowire
McNeill (knee) was placed on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday.
McNeill tore his ACL in Week 15 last season and is expected to be out at least the first two months of the season. His absence opens the door for rookie first-round pick Tyleik Williams to immediately start at defensive tackle next to DJ Reader, while Roy Lopez and Mekhi Wingo will also get extra tread. McNeill signed a four-year, $97 million contract in October of 2024, and he posted 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks through 14 games prior to his injury.
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Dicaprio Bootle: Waived by Lions
Rotowire
The Lions released Bootle (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Sunday.
Bootle was place on injured reserve earlier this month after getting hurt during practice. The 27-year-old spent last season with the Chargers and now will look to get healthy and catch on with another team.
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Lions' Ezekiel Turner: Suffers foot injury vs. Houston
Rotowire
Turner was helped off the field after injuring his right foot during Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
Turner was unable to put any weight on his right foot while being assisted off the field, making it unlikely that he'll return to Saturday's contest. The veteran linebacker is competing for a depth spot on the Lions' 53-man roster.
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Lions' Josh Paschal: Could return later than hoped
Rotowire
Head coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that Paschal's (undisclosed) return "could be a little later than we hoped" after Paschal was previously aiming to return in early September, Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News reports.
Paschal looks unlikely to be ready for the regular-season opener against the Packers on Sept. 7. Depending on the projected length of his absence, Paschal could be a candidate to begin the season on IR or the PUP list. He's currently on the active/non-football injury list.
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Lions' Mekhi Wingo: Activated off PUP
Rotowire
The Lions activated Wingo (knee) off the active/PUP list Tuesday, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.
Wingo is healthy again after having recovered from a knee injury suffered last November. The 22-year-old has been on the PUP list since July but will look to earn a spot on the team's final roster as a backup defensive tackle.
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Lions' Ahmed Hassanein: Season might be in doubt
Rotowire
Hassanein (pectoral) is likely to be out "for a while," Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.
Lions coach Dan Campbell could not say definitively whether Hassanein would be able to play this season, per Woodyard. The sixth-round pick out of Boise State suffered the injury during Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins. Prior to the setback, the edge rusher was fighting for a depth role.
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Lions' Ahmed Hassanein: Injured on Saturday
Rotowire
Hassanein suffered an upper-body injury in Saturday's preseason game versus Miami, Richard Silva of the Detroit News reports.
It sounds like Hassanein could miss some time, as coach Dan Campbell said, "Out of the (injuries) we had today, he might be the one that could be a minute. It could be a little bit." Hassanein was a sixth-round pick out of Boise State back in April.
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Lions' Dicaprio Bootle: Placed on IR
Rotowire
The Lions placed Bootle (undisclosed) on the reserve/injured list Thursday.
Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, Bootle suffered an unspecified injury during Wednesday's joint practice with the Dolphins. Bootle will be required to miss the entire 2025 season unless he reaches an injury settlement with Detroit. He signed with the Lions in mid-July after playing for the Chargers in 2024, posting three tackles (two solo) across seven regular-season games in a special-teams role.
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Lions' Ahmed Hassanein: Dealing with leg injury
Rotowire
Hassanein left Monday's training camp practice due to a lower-leg injury, per The Detroit News.
Hassanein was able to walk off the practice field under his own power, and the rookie sixth-rounder indicated after Monday's session that the injury isn't serious. His practice participation in the coming week will shed further clarity on his chances of playing against the Dolphins on Saturday. Hassanein is competing for a depth defensive-end spot on the Lions' 53-man roster.
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Lions' Morice Norris: In concussion protocol
Rotowire
Head coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Norris has entered the NFL's concussion protocol, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
Norris suffered a severe injury to the head/neck area during the Lions' preseason game against the Falcons on Friday, which required him to be carted off the field and transported to a local hospital. Norris was cleared to leave the hospital and returned to team facilities Sunday, and Campbell relayed that the 24-year-old safety will be brought through the concussion protocol "nice and easy."
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Lions' Morice Norris: Back at team facilities
Rotowire
Norris (neck/head) is present at team facilities in Detroit on Sunday, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
Norris was transported to a local hospital after being carted off the field early in the fourth quarter of Friday's preseason game against Atlanta and pronounced to be in stable condition, so it's encouraging to see him now back at the team's training facility. Via his personal social media accounts, Norris said Saturday morning he was "all good," per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
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Lions' Morice Norris: In stable condition
Rotowire
Norris (neck/head) is in stable condition at a local hospital, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports.
Norris was carted off the field early in the fourth quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Falcons and transported to a local hospital after suffering a serious injury. The Lions announced Friday evening that Norris had "feeling and movement in all his extremities," and he posted on his Instagram account Saturday morning that he was "all good."
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Lions' Morice Norris: Transported to local hospital
Rotowire
Norris (neck) was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation after getting hurt in Friday's preseason matchup versus Atlanta.
Norris was carted off the field early in the fourth quarter of Friday's preseason game after taking a hit to the head on an attempted tackle. He'll undergo further tests to determine the nature and severity of the injury.
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Lions' Morice Norris: Dealing with neck injury
Rotowire
Norris exited Friday's preseason game against the Falcons in an ambulance after suffering an apparent neck injury, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Norris attempted to make a tackle in the fourth quarter but took a hit to his head in the process. He remained down on the field for several minutes before departing in an ambulance.
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Lions' Ennis Rakestraw: Out for season after IR placement
Rotowire
Rakestraw (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Thursday.
Rakestraw will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after being injured in practice this past Sunday. He will miss the entire 2025 season. The 2024 second-round draft pick appeared in eight games during his rookie regular season.
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Lions' Ennis Rakestraw: Expected to miss action
Rotowire
Rakestraw (shoulder) is set to be sidelined for an extended period of time, Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net reports.
Rakestraw suffered a left shoulder injury at practice Sunday, and appears to be looking at a prolonged absence. The exact nature of the injury has yet to be disclosed, while medical evaluation is still ongoing. "I think it's going to be a while, at best," head coach Dan Campbell relayed Monday, which is vague, but not promising. On the bright side, Rakestraw hasn't been placed on season-ending injured reserve, which seems to suggest that a return in 2025 is still on the table for the 23-year-old. In his absence, Amik Robertson will remain the clear front-runner to handle the starting duties at slot cornerback with Detroit this season.
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Lions' Dan Jackson: Placed on IR
Rotowire
The Lions placed Jackson (leg) on injured reserve Monday.
The seventh-round rookie was injured in practice over the weekend and will now miss the entirety of the 2025 season unless he's cut with an injury settlement at a later date once healthy.
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Lions' Patrick O'Connor: Exits practice Monday
Rotowire
O'Connor exited Monday's practice with a leg injury and was unable to return, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
The 31-year-old defensive lineman appeared in 12 regular-season games with the Lions last season, logging 18 tackles (five solo), including 1.0 sacks, while playing a career-high 236 defensive snaps along Detroit's defensive line.
