St. Brown (ankle) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Both of the Lions' top skill-position players were absent from the field for the second day in a row to begin Week 5 prep, as running back D'Andre Swift (shoulder/ankle) was also sitting out the session. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com suggested that the Lions are planning to hold Swift out Sunday in New England with the hope of having him back to full strength coming out of a Week 6 bye, but it's unclear if the team intends to follow a similar blueprint with St. Brown. Like Swift, St. Brown sat out last week's 48-45 loss to the Seahawks, but the receiver's sprained right ankle may not be as worrisome of an injury as Swift's sprained shoulder and lingering ankle issue. Whatever the case, St. Brown's activity at Friday's practice -- or lack thereof -- will likely help determine his status for this weekend's matchup with the Patriots.