Lions coach Jim Schwartz normally doesn't discuss the amount of reps his players will get in preseason games -- or even if they'll play at all. During Wednesday's post-practice press conference, he made an important exception to that policy.

When asked if RB Mikel Leshoure would make his NFL debut against the Raiders on Saturday, Schwartz said that the second-year player was “on track” to see his first game action. Unless Leshoure's hamstring injury worsens following Thursday's workout, fans will finally get their first look at a player who was drafted to provide the Lions with the power rushing game they've been missing for years.

Leshoure has shown signs of progress since returning to the practice field last week after a 13-day layoff. He took part in pregame warmups in Baltimore on Friday -- something he says helped him form an effective preparation routine -- and has participated fully in all three of Detroit's practices this week.

This is the closest that Leshoure has been to making his NFL debut since a ruptured achilles tendon ended his 2011 season during training camp. With the end to a long rehab road finally in sight, Leshoure admitted his frustration over his year-long absence.

“It's my dream to play in the NFL,” he said. “I've been here for a year, and I haven't stepped on a field [in a game] yet. To finish off my dreams and my goals, it's going to be a good feeling."

Fairley's conditioning improving: DT Nick Fairley's limited reps early in training camp gave rise to questions about his health, and the impact of an offseason filled with legal troubles on his game. As it turns out, the reason behind Fairley's slow start was rather routine: He was simply out of shape. Three weeks into camp, however, Fairley's play has improved. He has taken first-team reps alongside Ndamukong Suh, and his effort has drawn the praise of coaches. “Nick lacked some maturity [early in camp],” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “He had to work overtime. He has run after practice. He's done a lot of good things to get himself ready to play. I was impressed [with his play] in the first half [vs. Baltimore].”

Starting CB battle a two-horse race: Players don't often comment on Detroit's depth chart, but rookie CB Bill Bentley was only too willing to speculate Wednesday that the race to start opposite CB Chris Houston is now between himself and free-agent signing Jacob Lacey. They have alternated between the outside CB spot and the nickel DB position in first-team drills for the last week, and each player has started a preseason game in the No. 2 CB role. Rather than treating the competition as a battle, however, Bentley says the challenge of winning the spot against a veteran player like Lacey as a sibling rivalry. “[Lacey has] kind of taken me under his wing like a little brother,” he said. “We're battling for the [second CB spot], but whoever doesn't get the two spot will probably get the nickel spot.”

Injury updates: LB Travis Lewis (quad), RB Stefan Logan (ankle) and S Louis Delmas (knee) were the only active players not taking part in Wednesday's workout. The three players represent the smallest number of non-participants in a workout since the second day of camp.

Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLDET and @JohnKreger.