Nate Burleson will undergo surgery to repair his broken leg and could be sidelined up to eight months.

He's not only done for the season, but could also miss the entirety of offseason practices as well. Due $4.5 million in 2013, the 31-year-old faces an uncertain future in Detroit. If Ryan Broyles and Titus Young prove up to the task in the second half of the season, Burleson will almost certainly be asked to restructure his contract. It's possible that he will be released altogether.

Nate Burleson ended up breaking his right leg in Monday night's loss to the Bears and will miss the remainder of the 2012 season.

Nate Burleson left Monday night's game against the Bears with an apparent right knee injury and is questionable to return.

Burleson caught a 16-yard pass in the third quarter but landed on his right leg awkwardly and looked to have hyperextended his knee. He had just the one catch on three targets before exiting. Burleson was later carted to the locker room. The 10-year veteran has been a favorite of Matthew Stafford's this season. Ryan Broyles should see an uptick in snaps.

Nate Burleson (undisclosed) returned to practice on Thursday.

Nate Burleson was absent from Wednesday's practice.

It appears it was just a day of rest for Burleson, who wasn't known to be nicked in Sunday's loss. Today was just an extra session for the Lions, who won't officially return to practice until Thursday since they're playing on Monday Night Football. Burleson should be ready to roll in PPR leagues.

Nate Burleson caught four passes for 24 yards and a touchdown and added two rushes for 22 yards versus the Eagles in Week 6.

Oddly enough, Percy Harvin is the only receiver with more rushing attempts than Burleson's eight for 48 yards this season. Quiet most of the day on nine targets, Burleson finally made his presence felt in the passing game with a key 17-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He's a mere flex option versus the Bears in Week 7.

Nate Burleson caught five passes for 51 yards and rushed one time for eight yards versus the Vikings in Week 4.

Burleson was targeted eight times and set up Detroit's lone touchdown with a catch inside the 1-yard line. Heading into the Week 5 bye, Burleson is on pace for a 88/800/4 stat line. He started hot last year, too, before losing looks to Titus Young down the stretch.

Nate Burleson caught 10 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' Week 3 loss to the Titans.

Burleson also added a two-point conversion. He was targeted 11 times on the day and caught the first 10 passes thrown at him. Burleson was Matthew Stafford's favorite target underneath, along with Brandon Pettigrew, with the Titans taking away everything over the top. He's not a real dependable fantasy option, but games like this are going to come.

Nate Burleson was held to one catch for 11 yards in Sunday's loss to the 49ers.

Burleson's quiet night comes one week after he reeled in six passes, and despite the fact that the 49ers didn't appear overly concerned about getting beat underneath, focusing on taking away the big play. It highlights the fact that Burleson is not dependable enough to be relied on as anything other than a WR4/5 in PPR leagues.

MLive.com considers Nate Burleson a "lock" for a roster spot.

Nate Burleson has not missed a single rep so far at Lions camp.

Burleson, who turns 31 on Sunday, battled ankle and elbow injuries during his first two seasons as a Lion. This year, he has lost 10 pounds and is a picture of perfect health. We're expecting Burleson to open the season as a starter in two-wide sets, but he'll be pushed weekly by exciting second-year man Titus Young.

Nate Burleson admitted that Titus Young was "brought here to take my position."

Credit Burleson for taking Young under his wing. "By the time I'm done, you should be ready to take that and you should be on your way to a new contract. And if you're not in those two positions, I don't think I did my job well enough," he told the second-year wideout. We're expecting Young to gradually move ahead of his mentor as the season moves along, but there are plenty of snaps available for both in the Lions' three-wide formations.

MLive.com believes Nate Burleson's roster spot remains safe following the Lions' selection of WR Ryan Broyles in the second round.

According to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett, the Lions remain "firmly committed" to Nate Burleson and DT Corey Williams.

Birkett suggested earlier this month that both were candidates for release, but that's apparently no longer the case. Lions GM Martin Mayhew insisted in January that Burleson would be back next season after catching a career-high 73 passes in 2011.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew indicated this week that Nate Burleson is not in danger of being released.

Burleson may potentially lose his starting job to Titus Young, but the Lions value him in the slot. "Nate had 73 catches this year - a career high for him - so he was very productive for us," said Mayhew. "He's a really good, solid, move-the-chains type of guy. Great run after the catch. He's been a great pick-up for us. He's worked out very well, and we're glad we have him."

Nate Burleson caught four passes for 50 yards against the Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Burleson took a backseat the game plan to Titus Young in what may be a changing of the guard. Whereas Young and Calvin Johnson combined for a whopping 25 targets, Burleson saw just five passes. No longer much of a threat after the catch, Burleson could be demoted to the third receiver role in 2012.

Nate Burleson caught six balls for 45 yards in the Lions' Week 17 loss to Green Bay.

The Lions' slot receiver finishes the regular season with a career high 73 receptions, but for only 777 yards and three touchdowns. Burleson is a moderately effective real-life player, but he doesn't have much fantasy appeal outside of deeper PPR leagues. The Lions face the Saints in Week 18.

Nate Burleson hauled in seven passes for 81 yards against the Raiders in Week 15.

Burleson broke a tackle for a 39-yard touchdown and added a clutch third-down conversion on the game-winning drive. His 11 targets are a season-high thanks to the comeback bid. Burleson remains a low-upside WR3 option for Week 16 against the Chargers.

Nate Burleson was held to three catches for 25 yards in the Lions' Week 14 win over the Vikings.

At least Burleson didn't get any offensive pass interference calls. He was targeted six times, but Titus Young was the preferred target on deep balls and in the red zone. Averaging 5.6 catches for 60.6 yards with one touchdown over his last five games, Burleson remains a weak WR3 heading into next week's game against the Raiders.

Nate Burleson caught five passes for 93 yards in Sunday's loss to the Saints.

Burleson would have easily had his first 100-yard game of the season, but had three separate catches negated by offensive pass interference. As it is, he was still able to haul in five of six targets, and managed to routinely tack on yards after the catch. However, his big night was largely the result of the Saints doing whatever it took to neutralize Calvin Johnson. With an injury battered Vikings secondary on deck for Week 14, he should draw fewer looks with Johnson likely in for an easier day at the office.