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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has plenty of issues that require his attention, and according to MLive.com's Anwar S. Richardson, the health of Jahvid Best appears to be one of his concerns.

Best has not played football since sustaining a concussion almost a year ago against San Francisco. It was at least the third documented concussion of Best's career. The NFL meanwhile, is facing scrutiny for its previous handling of concussions, which has resulted in 2,000-plus lawsuits by former players and Goodell admits he is paying special attention to Best's health.

"Very closely," Goodell said when asked how much he is monitoring Best's situation. "The medical care that our players get is extraordinary. Jahvid, in particular, has seen a number of doctors outside the Detroit Lions organization. They are all focused on his case and making sure we can make the best decisions for Jahvid Best."

And for the NFL. And for its lawyers. ...

Detroit made Best a first-round pick in 2010. He rushed for 555 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, plus had 487 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Last season, Best had 390 rushing yards and two touchdowns, plus 287 receiving yards and one touchdown before his injury.

Best said he battled headaches for two weeks after the San Francisco game, but has felt fine since that injury.

However, Best is currently on Detroit's active/physically unable to perform list. He attends training camp practice daily, but stands on the sidelines.

"The only thing I will say is we're measuring Jahvid in weeks, not days," head coach Jim Schwartz said. "He's not day-to-day A lot of these guys are day-to-day We're measuring his progress in weeks. He's doing very well. He's working very, very hard. He's in supreme condition, and I know this, when he's cleared, he's going to be tough to handle because he'll be ready."

That was not a typo folks. Schwartz said “weeks, not days.”

I’ll kindly suggest that leaves the team considerable wiggle room. But that comes as no real surprise given current circumstances.

Despite the NFL's interest in Best, Goodell said his office has no say in determining when Best can play football again this season.

"It's a medical decision," Goodell said. "The doctors make those decisions, so he obviously is having difficulty recovering the concussion. They have to be very cautious in that approach, and make sure they're seeing the appropriate doctors. Again, those are the decisions we want the medical people to make, not us. We're not influencing those decisions."

Once again, I’ll kindly suggest that last comment isn't actually a lie, but it's not the truth either.

The fact is, concussions are going to be a major issue for the NFL and Fantasy owners in coming years. I expect it to become a much more prevalent issue and a problem that's going to complicate matters greatly for all involved.

And that, of course, starts with the players who suffer them.

As for the immediate Fantasy impact?

In Best's case, we're talking about a guy still waiting for medical clearance nine months after suffering his last concussion. That's not good -- although Best continues to express optimism.

“I’m not disappointed. Like I said the only thing I’m worried about is doing everything I can to get cleared,’’ he said. “Once I get cleared I’ll be back there.’’

The Lions believe they can deal with the situation regardless of Best's status.

“We finished our last 10 and a playoff game without (Best) last year so we’ve worked through a lot of contingencies,’’ Schwartz said. “It’s not like the first time we’ve been without him.’’

Those contingencies start with Mikel Leshoure and Kevin Smith.

Leshoure continues to work back from the Achilles tendon that was torn 11 months ago. He also opens the season with a two-game suspension. But soon, the second-year man will be counted on to be part of the inside power run game that was desperately lacking last year.

"Leshoure definitely has that in him," Schwartz recently told the Detroit Free Press.

Schwartz added: "No matter how we do it, running the football, throwing the football, short yardage, first-and-10, we need to have the ability to pick up tough yardage, and I think that's something that Mikel can do for us. ..."

The problem, as Free Press staffer Carlos Monarrez suggests, no one knows for sure how good Leshoure can be. Monarrez added, "There have been glimpses at his power and speed -- and winces at his two marijuana possession charges this offseason that led to a two-game suspension."

But if he's the back that Schwartz believes he is, Leshoure's short-yardage ability will make him a valuable commodity.

For now, however; with Best out and Leshoure not quite back to full health (he also tweaked a hamstring when camp opened), Smith is taking the early reps with the starters.

Smith comes into the season in great shape after joining the Lions midway through the 2011 season while he was a free agent. Smith has added muscle mass while trimming down from 217 pounds to 209. In fact, Smith says he's never been stronger than he is right now.

"I'm healthy, so I've been able to attack my lifting," he told reporters last month. "My history of injuries here has either been legs or arms or shoulders, so I've never been able to really peak in the weight room as far as upper body strength and lower body strength. I've never squatted or lifted this much (as I am now). I'm really at the best I've been at all categories. ..."

Smith was out of the NFL entirely until the Lions came calling in November. He rushed for a career-high 140 yards against the Panthers in Week 11, but suffered a high ankle sprain the following week against the Packers that hampered him the remainder of the season.

Injuries limited Smith for a third-straight season, but the Lions thought enough of his performance late last year to offer him a one-year deal this season.

Smith still has to prove he can stay healthy, but he thinks the added strength and power will help.

Notice the start of that last sentence. The need for a Detroit running back to prove themselves healthy enough to get the job done sets up the biggest training camp battle of the month: The backfield vs. the training staff.

And if none of three discussed above are able to prove that?

For one thing, it will keep our running back rankings in an even greater state of flux than we'd like.

Beyond that, general manager Martin Mayhew recently told reporters the team has been in contact with free agent running backs -- Ryan Grant's name has been mentioned in association with the Lions -- should they feel the need to protect themselves.

It seems a more likely outcome with each passing day.