Kevin Smith has been dealing with an ankle sprain for the past few weeks, but the injury is apparently slowly but surely improving. The Detroit Lions first injury report of the week, released on Wednesday afternoon, indicates that the running back could be set for carries this weekend against the Oakland Raiders.
Smith was listed as a Did Not Practice according the official injury report, but Chris McCosky for the Detroit News wrote that "Smith, who appeared to be moving well, worked on the side with a trainer during position drills." The running back was unable to play in this past weekend's victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Chris Houston and Nick Fairley also returned to practice this week after missing the Vikings game, joining Amari Spievey and Willie Young on the "limited" list. Aaron Berry, Louis Delmas, Justin Durant, Lawrence Jackson and Eric Wright were forced to miss all of Wednesday's practice while veteran defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch used it as his usual day of rest.
The Lions are gearing up to play the Oakland Raiders this weekend as they inch closer to clinching a playoff berth.