12 Bruce Ellington WR

Ellington (back) was a limited practice participant Tuesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Ellington apparently suffered the injury in Sunday's win over the Panthers and has been limited at both practices this week. Unless the 27-year-old is able to put in full practice session Wednesday, he seems likely to wear the questionable tag for Thursday's game against the Bears on a short week of preparation.

Ellington (back) was a limited participant in Monday's practice, Scott Bordow of The Athletic reports.

There was no mention of Ellington getting injured during Sunday's victory over Carolina, but fantasy owners nonetheless need to keep an eye on the receiver's status as the Lions prepare on a short week for Thursday's Thanksgiving matchup against the Bears.

Ellington brought in six of nine targets for 52 yards in the Lions' 20-19 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

Ellington was solid in a complementary role alongside lead wideout Kenny Golladay with Marvin Jones (knee) sidelined. The five-year veteran was making his Lions debut after opening the season with the Texans, and the initial returns were certainly encouraging, especially for a Detroit team that could be without Jones for an extended period. Ellington will have a short turnaround before likely serving in a prominent role once again versus the Bears in a Thanksgiving Day showdown.

Ellington could see a significant workload Sunday against the Panthers with teammate Marvin Jones (knee) sidelined, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

It seems likely that TJ Jones will take Marvin Jones' place on the outside, but it's not as clear who will man the slot. While Ellington is certainly a candidate to handle some of the workload in that role, it wouldn't be a surprise if long-time Lions running back Theo Riddick -- who's taken numerous reps from the slot each of the past two weeks -- ultimately sees more playing time. This uncertainty makes both players risky fantasy players in most formats, but both could be worth a dart throw in DFS tournaments against a Panthers team that has repeatedly been torched by slot receivers throughout the year, including Cole Beasley (seven catches for 73 yards but no touchdowns) in Week 1, Tyler Boyd (6/132/1) in Week 3, Sterling Shepard (4/75/0) in Week 5 and Adam Humphries (8/82/2) in Week 9.

Ellington (coach's decision) was inactive for Sunday's 34-22 loss to Chicago.

Signed just days before kickoff, Ellington understandably needs more time to learn the playbook before the Detroit coaching staff can feel comfortable giving the receiver live game reps. Ellington's next chance to make his Lions debut will come next Sunday in a Week 11 home game against the Panthers.