The Lions expect Stafford (thumb) to play Sunday against the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Stafford was held out of Wednesday's practice while tending to a ligament injury to his right thumb. He then returned Thursday as a limited participant, and he apparently looked good enough to make the Lions feel confident in his availability for Sunday. Teammates D'Andre Swift (concussion), Kenny Golladay (hip) and Danny Amendola (hip) may not be as fortunate, with each of the three missing Friday's practice and seemingly trending toward sitting out the Week 11 contest.