Is AJ Dillon playing Thursday? Fantasy injury update for Packers-Lions Week 12 Thanksgiving game

Matt Lutovsky

Is AJ Dillon playing Thursday? Fantasy injury update for Packers-Lions Week 12 Thanksgiving game image

It's been a rough season in the Packers' backfield, and things have gotten even worse ahead of Week 12. Starter Aaron Jones (knee) and third-stringer Emanuel Wilson (shoulder) are both out for Green Bay's Thanksgiving game in Detroit, and primary backup AJ Dillon is "questionable" because of a groin injury. Fantasy football owners who steered clear of this backfield on draft day are likely giving thanks right about now, but for those who invested in Dillon, there's one more item to your to-do list for Thursday: Check for the latest injury updates before locking in your initial start 'em, sit 'em decisions.

We'll continue to update this article with news on Dillon until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 11 a.m. ET, so check back for the latest.

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Is AJ Dillon playing Thursday Week 12? 

UPDATE: Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reported Wednesday evening that Dillon is expected to play against the Lions.

UPDATE 2: Dillon is officially ACTIVE.

With starter Aaron Jones (knee) and backup Emanuel Wilson (shoulder) on the shelf, Dillon appeared set for a huge role on Thanksgiving against the Lions. However, a groin injury limited him throughout the week in practice, and he's officially listed as "questionable." There haven't been any inklings that Dillon is in real danger of missing this game, but groin injuries can be problematic, especially for big RBs, so fantasy owners shouldn't completely take for granted that Dillon is suiting up.

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That said, we tentatively expect Dillon to play, and if he does, he should see 15-plus touches. In Weeks 2-6, when Jones was either out entirely or played sparingly, Dillon disappointed mightily, averaging 13.8 touches and 55.6 total yards with one total TD. Against the Lions' fifth-ranked run defense, Dillon has a low ceiling no matter how you look at it, and his groin issue doesn't figure to help.

He's always a threat to score or rack up some cheap catches in garbage time (he had four receptions last week), but with all 32 teams in action in Week 12, we think you can find a better RB2 or flex, even in 12-team leagues. Dillon can volume his way to a decent day, but you're taking on a lot of unnecessary risk here if Dillon is active.

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If he's out, Patrick Taylor and James Robinson would split RB touches for the Packers. Both players have experience with the organization, but neither was on the team a week ago. You simply can't trust either in such a tough matchup, but if you need one for DFS, Taylor is your best bet because of his pass-catching ability.

Matt Lutovsky

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Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.