Craig Reynolds's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds is a popular waiver-wire addition ahead of Week 16 against the Chicago Bears but it might be best to check on his role and usage before plugging him into lineups. With David Montgomery (knee) out, it is natural to think that Reynolds could step into the tandem running back role with Jahmyr Gibbs and produce numbers that could be useful for fantasy. But Gibbs could dominate the backfield and be in line for expanded usage and a more featured role with Reynolds and Sione Vaki giving him rest spells. Reynolds could factor into the Lions game plan but in the fantasy playoffs this week it is risky to take that chance and would be better to trust a more reliable option at the position.

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (leg) is expected to be available for the regular season opener, according to head coach Dan Campbell. Reynolds suffered a leg injury during Thursday's practice. It's not believed to be serious, but Reynolds was held out of the preseason finale for precautionary reasons. He's currently competing with Sione Vaki for the No. 3 role in Detroit. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are the two primary options in this backfield. It's unlikely that Reynolds or Vaki have a significant role in the backfield while Gibbs and Montgomery are healthy. Whether he's healthy or not, Reynolds can probably be avoided in most fantasy formats.

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (leg), who left the team's final day of training camp early Wednesday, appears to have avoided a serious injury. The exact nature of the ailment sustained by Reynolds is unclear, though two defenders apparently sandwiched him on a run in the red zone at about the mid-point of practice. It appears he'll be OK and looks to return to the field quickly. Reynolds is currently entrenched in a battle with rookie Sione Vaki for Detroit's RB3 role, and any time away from the field is less time fending off the rookie from supplanting him. Whichever back wins the positional battle would not hold standalone fantasy value, but rather be a potential handcuff option in deep leagues and best-ball formats. This version of the Lions' offense has shown us a propensity to value the use of a dual-RB system, and Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) is improving but not fully healthy with the season just two weeks away. Reynolds is Yahoo's RB100 off the boards in drafts currently.