LSU football has had an unfortunate streak of bad luck in the early season, losing key players on both sides of the ball to injuries.

By Week 6, LSU had both team captains - tight end Trey'Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks listed on the injury report due to leg injuries. Green, with a minor knee injury, was able to return to the offense for last week's matchup against Auburn, while Weeks stayed on the sidelines with a fractured fibula.

But with a recent update to Weeks' status, LSU could have both team leaders back in action by the next game against Alabama.

The Possible Return

As Weeks suffered his injury during the Texas A&M matchup in Week 4, he was given a timetable of four to six weeks until his return to the defense.

Now that it's Week 9, it's been over four weeks since his surgery on his fibula, and he has been undergoing recovery and rehab in the past couple of weeks, which left him unable to travel with the team to Lexington to watch an unfortunate loss against the Wildcats in Week 6.

After some much-needed healing time, Weeks could be available to start practicing with the team as soon as next week, CBS Sports' Matt Zentiz reports.

That will be just around the five-week mark since his injury, being able to begin practicing with the team ahead of the highly anticipated matchup against Alabama following the bye week.

Which Weeks has a possible chance of playing in.

Adding the play-caller and play-maker back to the defense will have a major impact on the unit, being able to get in front of Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell and his dual-threat abilities with 251 rushing yards and 2,057 passing yards.

In the linebacker position, Weeks becomes a ball carrier's biggest nightmare, recording 23 tackles in the four games he's played this season. He also adds major pressure to the offensive line, getting into the pocket to stop offensive production from the start of the play.

As LSU heads into the most daunting stretch of the season, a win over the Crimson Tide won't just end the three-year drought that the SEC rival holds over the Tigers, but also put LSU in the ideal position for a hopeful playoff run, as the team already has two losses.

Alabama is in the same two-loss boat, raising the stakes for both rival teams. That means the team will need to put up a dominant performance during the afternoon game, bringing out sneaky weapons from both sides of the ball.

LSU's defense could soon get a weapon back when they need it most.

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