Vaki (knee) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Packers.
Vaki appeared to have moved past his knee issue after recording a full practice session Thursday. However, he downgraded to a DNP on Friday and will likely miss the Lions' Week 9 divisional matchup. With Vaki expected to be sidelined Sunday, Detroit's running back room will likely consist of David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Past knee injury
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Vaki (knee) was a full participant during Thursday's practice.
Vaki was held out of Wednesday's practice due to a knee injury he likely picked up during the Lions' Week 8 win over the Titans. The injury doesn't appear to be severe, however, as he was able to practice without limitations Thursday. Barring any setbacks, Vaki will suit up and play in his usual special-teams role against the Packers on Sunday.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Dealing with knee issue
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Vaki (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.
Detroit's No. 4 running back recorded one total tackle across 22 special-teams snaps in Sunday's blowout win, however, it appears he sustained a knee injury in the process. The rookie from Utah could be in jeopardy of missing Week 9's matchup against the Packers if he doesn't upgrade to at least limited participation Thursday or Friday.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Limited usage in Week 1
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Vaki failed to log a touch while playing two snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-20 overtime win against the Rams.
Vaki was used sparingly in Week 1, seeing the majority of his action on special teams and logging 18 snaps with that unit. Fellow running back Craig Reynolds didn't see any touches either, and Vaki and Reynolds seemingly remain in a battle for the No. 3 role in Detroit's backfield behind David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Neither depth option carries much fantasy value, barring an injury to Gibbs or Montgomery.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Productive in preseason game
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Vaki ran for 22 yards on six carries and caught four passes for 60 yards on four targets in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City.
The rookie fourth-round pick out of Utah seemingly played in the rotation following Craig Reynolds, who took the first touch at running back with Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) and David Montgomery left out of the game. The Lions plan to run often and are expected to keep all four running backs on the roster, and whatever the depth chart placement might be between Vaki and Reynolds at the moment could change over the course of the year. Vaki's pass-catching upside stands out, not just because of his strong showing Saturday but even more so because Vaki turned 14 targets into 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns for Utah last year.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Gets four carries in NFL debut
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Vaki rushed four times for 29 yards and wasn't targeted in Thursday's 14-3 preseason loss to the Giants. He also recovered a fumble.
All four of Vaki's carries came on one drive late in the first half, and he also showed good awareness for a rookie by recovering a fumble committed by a Giants defender on an interception return. The versatile fourth-round pick played both safety and running back at Utah, but the Lions have had Vaki concentrate on the latter position to begin his NFL career. He appears to be no higher than fourth on the depth chart behind Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Craig Reynolds, who started Thursday's game. Detroit's second preseason game will be next Saturday in Kansas City.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Back at practice
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Vaki returned to practice Friday, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell stated Vaki's shoulder problem is "nothing long term," Jeff Risdon of USA Today and John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated report.
Vaki left practice early on Thursday with shoulder problems, but it appears the injury won't be a problem moving forward as he returned to practice just a day later. The rookie running back will need as many reps as he can get ahead of Detroit's season as he focuses solely on the offensive side of the ball after playing both running back and safety in his collegiate career with Utah.
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Sione Vaki: Detroit adds in fourth round
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The Lions selected Vaki in the fourth round of 2024 NFL Draft, 132nd overall.
Vaki (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) was a do-everything standout at Utah, where he thrived as both a safety and to a lesser extent at running back. Curiously, the Lions listed Vaki as a running back in the pick selection, but the presences of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery would seemingly indicate that there is little or no playing time up for grabs at running back. It might make sense for Detroit to therefore use Vaki as a two-way player the exact same way Utah did and basically call upon him in whichever capacity the situation might call for. If Vaki can earn playing time, there's reason to think he can produce on either offense or defense, though in terms of the depth chart he is probably far away from meaningful playing time in the short term.
