Stafford's wife, Kelly, said Thursday in a story on her personal Instagram account that the quarterback and the rest of his family has remained COVID-19 negative through two rounds of testing.
The Lions placed Stafford on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, but his wife's comments indicate that the quarterback didn't test positive for the coronavirus and was instead deemed a high-risk contact of someone who did. Because he was placed on the list, Stafford still won't be eligible for activation until Sunday, assuming he continues to test negative in each of the upcoming days. That theoretically leaves the door open for Stafford to start Sunday's game in Minnesota, in which case the Lions would have to arrange private travel for him. Additionally, since Stafford is only able to take part in virtual meetings this week rather than appearing in practice, fantasy managers may justifiably have some reservations about using him, despite a favorable matchup versus one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. Chase Daniel would draw the Week 9 start if the Lions elect to delay Stafford's activation until after Sunday.