Lions WR Calvin Johnson Expected To Play This Weekend

Lions WR Calvin Johnson is expected to play against the Bills this weekend, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

This comes just hours after Lions HC Jim Caldwell told reporters on Friday that there is a chance that Johnson could be held out of Sunday’s game against the Bills if is injured ankle doesn’t improve in the coming days.

“That possibility always exists,” Caldwell said of holding Johnson out of this weekend’s game, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. “Just kind of depends on how one progresses during the course of the week. There are some times that they move forward enough that they won’t have any significant setbacks and other times you don’t feel that way. You have to wait until the end of the week and react accordingly.”

Johnson was able to return to practice on Friday and said earlier in the week that his ankle was feeling better, so signs are pointing to him being in the lineup this weekend. It will be interesting to see if he’s used as a decoy or if they plan on targeting him regularly throughout the game.

On the season, Johnson has 21 receptions for 341 yards and two touchdowns over the course of four games. However, he was limited to playing just 37 snaps against the Jets in Week 4.