Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host NFL fan surveys, sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we are tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions fans, and since the Lions are on a bye in Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season, we are shifting from our regular opponent-based question to a roster-focused one.
Here are our two questions for Lions fans this week:
- Which Lions player returning from injury will have the biggest immediate impact? (weekly question)
- Are you confident the Lions are headed in the right direction? (recurring poll)
Our recurring “confidence the Lions are headed in the right direction” survey results hit an all-time low in the Dan Campbell
era last week, plummeting to a meager 12%. However, after hanging 45 points on the Cardinals in Week 5 and the defense showing signs of improvement, it’ll be interesting to see if this survey rebounds this week.
As for our new survey this week, the Lions are on the cusp of returning two key starters from injury in the next two weeks, as safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays have opened their 21-day evaluation windows and could return as soon as Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, as Campbell noted last week:
“They won’t have other teammates around, running plays and all that stuff, but they’re going to be here continuing to condition, get ready (during the bye week),” Campbell said on Friday. “As (much) football stuff as they can do without it being that with the training staff. Then let’s get them going Green Bay week. Let’s get them going, and then we’ll assess. Hopefully by midweek, we’ll have a pretty good idea (if they can return to play).”
Note: Since we’re looking a bit ahead this week, the Lions Week 7 opening betting line against the Packers, set by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook, is already at Lions -3.5 points and could shift if the Lions can return Branch and Mays.
While each player’s return is still to be determined, our question this week hopes to uncover which Lions player returning from injury do fans think will have the most immediate impact?
When Branch returns, he should jump directly into a starting role, creating a rippling effect on the Lions secondary. However, Achilles’ injuries are notoriously difficult to return to form from, and it could be a while before we see the Pro Bowl version of Branch that Lions fans have become accustomed to.
Mays is also expected to step back into a starting role once he returns, but with Juice Scruggs playing well, might the Lions consider taking their time returning their prized free agent to play?
We have also added an “other” option for fans this week, in case anyone believes another player expected to return from an injury list this year might be more impactful. The players eligible for this include safety Kerby Joseph, safety Thomas Harper, running back Isiah Pacheco, and offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was recently spotted at practice working with trainers.
And with that, it’s time to vote in the Feed surveys below, sound off in the comments, and check back with Pride of Detroit later in the week for the results.
