Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee) is in line for an expanded role after the Pistons announced Jodie Meeks (back) would miss at least eight weeks.

Caldwell-Pope (knee) is in line for an expanded role after the Pistons announced Jodie Meeks (back) would miss at least eight weeks.

Analysis:

Caldwell-Pope is dealing with a left knee strain, which will keep him sidelined for a couple more preseason games, but the second-year shooting guard now seems to have a direct path to the starting lineup with Meeks on the shelf. While we'll still need to see if Caldwell-Pope can avoid any injury setbacks and earn the starting gig, he certainly becomes a more interesting late-round dart with Meeks out of the picture for the first quarter of the regular season.