The Detroit Lions face a dilemma before their second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs reportedly plan to use their regular players, including star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, in the first half at home against Detroit.

Detroit had originally planned to hold a fan-accessible scrimmage during the final practice session, which would have served as a replacement for this weekend’s game.

Unfortunately, a series of injuries to players such as Terrion Arnold, Carlton Davis, Ennis Rakestraw and Jahmyr Gibbs in recent days forced Dan Campbell to change his plans.

The team did not wear protective gear and instead conducted a routine training session with team and individual sessions designed to give the starters a good number of repetitions.

The Lions should not fall into the trap of adopting Reid’s strategy and fielding regular players on Saturday.

With such high expectations, Detroit should use the game as an opportunity to evaluate how the lower ranked players fare against one of the best teams in the league.

Players like Kindle Vildor, Brandon Joseph and Steven Gilmore can gain valuable experience in the secondary by keeping up with the performances of one of the game’s best signal-callers.

Related: Lions starters who should play against Chiefs

Detroit cannot afford to lose a key offensive or defensive player in what is essentially a meaningless game.

Although Detroit’s squad has improved, several players have already had to accept the end of the season due to injuries, including wide receiver Antoine Green.

The fact that Detroit’s top teams compete against each other in daily training should be enough for Campbell and the coaching staff to forego playing their most important players in the second week of the preseason.