The fantasy football playoffs are upon us in some leagues, and some owners are still trying to make a big push to make the big dance. Let us help rest your nerves, as we talk about who to start, and who to sit for Thursday night’s big NFC North match-up.

As we all know, the Lions defense is pretty banged up. But, there are quite a few injuries for both teams on both sides. Lets talk about all the injured players, and how that may affect our choices later on.

The Lions are currently down a league high 15 players on IR, with 4 more players to miss tonight’s game due to injury. As you can see, Detroit is having a rough go of it. Detroit will be down 9 of 11 starting defenders. This obviously should impact the Packers offense heavily, as it is more likely for them to win their 1-on-1 match-ups in those areas.

The Packers injury list is nowhere near as long, but they are missing a few key starters as well. Alexander and Cooper are likely going to be big losses for the defense, and Doubs being out means other receivers are likely to see more targets.

Now, lets get into the nitty-gritty. Who should you sit for Thursday night? This is the hard part this week, as both teams are down key defenders.

Tucker Kraft, TE: The Packers have found themselves a young stud in Tucker Kraft, as he is currently the TE10 in regular PPR leagues. However, I don’t believe he will have a great game against the Lions. Detroit’s defense currently ranks 1st in points allowed to tight ends, with only 5.2 PPG allowed. I believe that even with all the injuries, the Lions defense will do a good job against Kraft. Joseph, Branch, and Campbell are all healthy.

Sam Laporta, TE: Laporta is coming off a solid fantasy outing, but I don’t think he will duplicate it this week. He only had 3 catches for 6 yards last Thursday. It just so happened that 2 of the 3 went for a touchdown. The Lions just have not used him consistently this season. I would likely only sit Laporta if you have a clear better option, as the Lions offense does have a chance to take advantage of the Packers defense with Sam.

Jordan Love, QB: I would only sit Jordan in 1QB leagues, or in a Super-Flex where you have 2 better options. I don’t necessarily think Love will have a bad game, I just think the Packers will try to take full advantage of the Lions injury woes by pounding the rock. I don’t really see this game becoming a shootout.

Jared Goff, QB: I would sit Goff for the exact same reasons I listed above for Love. Taylor Decker is also out, so Goff will likely struggle with the pressure from his blindside. I expect the Lions to do something similar to last week, and pound the rock. The Lions offense has been run-first all year, and I don’t see it changing this week with their left tackle out.

With that out of the way, lets talk about who you should start.

Josh Jacobs, RB: This one is pretty obvious so I’ll keep it simple. Josh is currently 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards, and the Lions are missing 9 of 11 starting defenders, all in the front 7. Not only that, Jacobs has been a solid target for Love, racking up 27 catches, 260 yards, and a touchdown through the air. I expect the Packers to run the ball, and for Josh to have a very good game. The last time he played Detroit he had 13 carries for 95 yards averaging 7.3YPC, a season high for him.

Gibbs/Montgomery, RB: Another obvious one, it’s Sonic and Knuckles. The Packers defense has not been great against backs, allowing 20.7PPG. I expect the Lions to rely on the run game with Decker out again.

Amon-Ra St Brown, WR: Short and simple; ARSB is the WR1, and the Packers CB1 is out. I don’t necessarily expect a huge game, but it will at least be a regular Amon-Ra game.

Jayden Reed, WR: Reed is coming off a few “meh” performances, sans his 2 touchdown catches last week. However, his best game of the last 8 came in week 9 against Detroit. He had 5 catches for 113 yards, his 3rd best total of the season.

Christian Watson, WR: Watson is a start for very similar reasons to Reed. He had 3 catches for only 37 yards last time against Detroit, but he had 7 targets in the game. Also, Romeo Doubs is out this week, and I expect Watson to fill his role. I could see Wicks having a solid game as well. The Lions defense currently ranks 28th vs WRs, allowing a staggering 31.6PPG.

The Lions will have their work cut out for them tonight. Let’s hope we all come out with a win this week. Good luck!