Calvin Johnson "definitely expects to play" in Week 10 after the team returns from a bye, DetroitLions.com reports.

Johnson hasn't played since Week 5 while recovering from an ankle injury that limited his performance in previous games.

Johnson caught seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener, but managed just 15 catches for 184 yards and no scores in the next four weeks.

Nick Fairley has injuries to his MCL and PCL and could miss 4-5 weeks.

Fairley is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason and his injury makes the already difficult situation even tougher for the Detroit Lions.

If a short-term deal can’t be reached at some point, Fairley’s injury might seal Detroit’s decision to move on.

The Detroit Lions have fielded calls on the availability of Ndamukong Suh via trade, but they don't plan on trading anyone ahead of the deadline.

"I don't have any plans to trade anybody," general manager Martin Mayhew said. "I'll leave it at that."

Suh will be a free agent this offseason and is widely expected to sign elsewhere.

"We kind of talk to everybody around the league, get calls from different teams and things like that," Mayhew said. "But I don't anticipate us making any moves at the trade deadline."

Joseph Fauria, 6'7 tight end for the Detroit Lions, worked on developing his hands by catching bricks.

"I've always worked on that," said Fauria about developing his hands. "I used to catch bricks with my grandfather outside my front yard and back yard, and that taught you soft hands and how to bring it in and how not to fight the ball. I also have done the thing where you turn around and catch the ball. I got a few black eyes growing up, because I wasn't fast enough, or he threw it too damn early."

Jerry Rice famously was the son of a brick mason and would catch bricks from his brothers to hand to his dad with any dropped brick being deducted from his paycheck.

"Exactly. And my uncles did it too. Brick laying. My summer job was waiting on tables, but their summer jobs were brick laying. That's how they got good hands. Christian, my uncle (and a longtime NFL tight end), was too I think.

"My uncle also used to go across the street, and he honestly had a tighter spiral than Warren Moon. He's a doctor now, but he used to go across the street and just sling it. I'm like, 'Dude, can you stop? My hands are red.' I was, like, a pre-teen, like 9 or 10 years old, and I can't catch that stuff. It was an NFL ball too. He'd just gun it at me. I'd gone inside and start crying. He'd be like, 'Get back out here! Get back out here!'

"That's how I learned soft hands. Tough love."

Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush are inactive for the Detroit Lions in their game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnson has been dealing with a high ankle sprain over the past three weeks. Johnso has caught just three balls for 19 yards over the previous two weeks.

Bush was unable to practice this week after suffering an ankle injury in the second half against the Bills.

The Detroit Lions will sign Matt Prater as their kicker barring an unexpected problem in contract talks.

Prater, who made 25-of-26 field goals last season for the Broncos, was available after he was released by Denver last week after coming off a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

Prater will replace Alex Henery, who missed three field goals on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

The Detroit Lions cut Alex Henery on Monday, two weeks after signing him to replace rookie Nate Freese, who the team kept after the preseason.

Henery was 1 of 5 on field goals, including three misses Sunday in a 17-14 loss to Buffalo. He missed a 50-yard attempt with 21 seconds left that would have given the Lions the lead.

Ndamukong Suh was asked numerous questions about his plans during the offseason on Wednesday following a report from Adam Schefter that he would like to leave the Detroit Lions in 2015.

During the news conference, Suh did not raise his voice or appear agitated -- it just seemed he didn't want to talk about his future.

"I cannot address that just for the simple fact that I have not spoken to any reporter about it or any reporters about supposedly what has come out," Suh said.

Teammates continue to say that Suh's contract situation is not a distraction and something he has to handle on his own.