Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson practiced with the team on Friday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Johnson is dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss the team's game in Week 5, but he did return in Week 6. Unfortunately, he was very limited in the game, and served mostly as a decoy.
Calvin Johnson practices again, should be started in fantasy
Megatron practiced again on Friday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Johnson played in just 38 offensive snaps in Week 6, and he rarely ran any downfield routes, and never at full speed. Detroit really needs him against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7, but three straight practices is definitely a good sign. Johnson usually gets a day off as a veteran -- usually Wednesday -- but that didn't happen this week.
It’s unlikely that Johnson is 100-percent healthy at this point, but even having him at 85 or even 75 percent would be huge for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the league and if he gets a window to make a play, regardless of what percentage of health he happens to be at, he’ll make a play.
Fantasy Impact: Johnson is a must-start regardless, unless he starts showing a trend in the same way that Roddy White was doing with the Atlanta Falcons. White played despite injuries and was used a decoy, but rather than do it once, he did it every week this season. While Johnson may not be primed for his biggest fantasy matchup ever, he should be good to go for fantasy owners.
• Week 7 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
