Lions at Raiders: Calvin Johnson out again for Detroit

As part of their effort to carefully manage his reps this preseason, the Detroit Lions have ruled out wide receiver Calvin Johnson for Friday night's game against the Oakland Raiders. Johnson also missed last week's game against the Cleveland Browns, so he has yet to play in the 2014 preseason.

Johnson isn't believed to be dealing with an actual injury right now, so his absence on Friday is precautionary more than anything. After having a pair of offseason surgeries, the Lions just want to make sure that Johnson is good to go for the regular season, and the last thing they need is for him to suffer an injury in a game that doesn't count. And considering the Lions are basically playing on a baseball field in Oakland, there's really no need to risk it with Johnson this week.

Also out on Friday night for the Lions are wide receiver TJ Jones and defensive end Ziggy Ansah. The Lions activated Ansah from the PUP list earlier this week, but he's not ready to play in a game just yet. There's a good chance he will make his preseason debut next week, but it's not quite as clear when Jones will be back, as he is still on the PUP list.

With Johnson and Ansah out, Kris Durham and Devin Taylor are once again slated to start for the Lions. George Johnson and C.J. Mosley are also slated to start (at defensive end and defensive tackle), so the Lions' first-team defensive line should look quite interesting on Friday night.