Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown told reporters Thursday that he had a knee operation after the season "to clean some stuff up," according to the Detroit Free Press. He added that he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.
What They're Saying
Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press: "While St. Brown didn’t specify the knee that was operated on, he appeared to have injured his right one while returning a punt last November during a victory over the Indianapolis Colts. St. Brown didn’t participate in practice the next day but played later that week in a Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears."
2025 Fantasy Football Impact
At this point in the offseason, we should probably take St. Brown's word that this minor procedure won't affect his readiness for the season.
These types of post-season "cleanup" surgeries are common, and the timing points to St. Brown's desire to get it out of the way with plenty of time to rebound ahead of the regular season.
Of course, we can also look back on some instances where seemingly minor repairs turned into nagging issues.
We'll keep an eye on St. Brown's return to action and his prep for the regular season.
Best Ball Impact
Although it's not time to worry about this injury overall, it wouldn't be a bad idea to fade St. Brown at his late-Round 1 best ball ADP right now.
The 25-year-old carries some risk factors beyond the knee operation. His target share declined last season from 2023, and coaches have talked up Jameson Williams this spring -- suggesting they'd like to grow his role for 2025.
There's also the question of the OC switch. Ben Johnson's gone, replaced by John Morton. His scheme might prove similar but is bound to not be identical.
If he returns to the field in late July and quickly proves to be at full strength, then we can go back to considering him in late Round 1 of best ball drafts.
St. Brown's ADP isn't likely to climb much higher than where it sits right now. The knee uncertainty could push that price down, though.