Detroit Lions tight end James Mitchell (hand) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's Wild-Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Mitchell was limited in practice on Thursday, but ended up missing Friday's session. The Lions have decided to rule him out for this contest, which normally doesn't mean too much. However, Sam LaPorta (knee) has been banged up, but he was able to get through a full practice on Friday. Fellow tight end Brock Wright appears ready to play, so the absence of Mitchell won't make much of an impact.
MLive's Kyle Meinke thinks that Detroit Lions tight ends Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and James Mitchell are roster locks heading into Week 1 of the regular season. And if Brandon Zylstra has a solid training camp, the team could take four tight ends into the regular season. Mitchell is big and physical at the position and has run-after-the-catch abilities. The 23-year-old fifth-round selection last year isn't much of a blocker, so if one of Wright or LaPorta miss time with injury in 2023, he could step into a decent pass-catching role. Mitchell could also see a bigger role if LaPorta struggles with the speed of the NFL game in his first NFL season. Mitchell caught all 11 of his targets in 2022 for 113 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (zero starts).
Brock Wright, James Mitchell Not Strong Week 11 Options
Detroit Lions tight ends Brock Wright and James Mitchell are far from the fantasy radar, despite each of them catching a touchdown in two games without T.J. Hockenson (traded to Vikings). The tight end duo has combined for just five targets, three catches, and 14 yards over that two-game span. Until either player proves to be larger factors in the passing game instead of beneficiaries of short touchdown passes, they can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.
Brock Wright, James Mitchell Not On The Fantasy Radar
Detroit Lions tight ends Brock Wright and James Mitchell combined for just three targets in the win over the Green Bay Packers last week and are set to face Chicago, who has given up the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. That said, neither are attractive starters as there are much better options on waivers -- even in deep tight end premium leagues. One of the two could emerge moving forward, but neither is not on the fantasy radar until further notice.
Detroit Lions tight end James Mitchell caught both of his targets for eight yards and a touchdown in the 15-9 win over the Green Bay Packers. He drew one more target than Brock Wright, but neither can be played on a week-to-week basis after relatively quiet days in the first game without T.J. Hockenson. Mitchell and Wright will likely have some solid games from time to time, but Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Tom Kennedy, and D'Andre Swift will likely remain higher in the target pecking order.
Brock Wright, James Mitchell To Take On Bigger Roles
Following the Detroit Lions' trade of tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, second-year tight end Brock Wright (head) and rookie James Mitchell figure to be more prominently involved on offense moving forward. Wright has logged 181 offensive snaps this year behind Hockenson, catching six passes for 88 yards. Mitchell tore his ACL in college in 2021 and has been slowly incorporated into the offense. He hasn't played more than six snaps in a game and had his first catch in the Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Wright should be the best bet for production at the position in Detroit with Hockenson now gone, but he'll have to clear the league's concussion protocol in order to play in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers.
