LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green expected back for Saturday's trip to Auburn

LSU is set to get tight end Trey'Dez Green back for Saturday's game at Auburn. The junior has been out since hurting his knee late in the Week 3 loss at Ole Miss. He was not on Wednesday's SEC availability report, and a source told Pete Thamel that Green is expected to play, ESPN reported.

The return comes earlier than expected. Right after the injury, Green's mother said an MRI found sprains and bruising but no torn ligaments, and that he would not need surgery but would miss games, 247Sports reported. The working assumption had been that he would come back after next week's open date, in time for Alabama on Nov. 7, according to The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate. Lane Kiffin had hinted at an early return in early October. "If there's anybody that's going to come back sooner than maybe what people thought, it would be him," the coach said, per the Advocate.

Green is 6-foot-7 and was on the John Mackey Award preseason watch list. He had 14 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown before the injury. He made All-SEC last season and already holds LSU's record for touchdown catches by a tight end with 12, according to ESPN. Without him, Kiffin used receiver Roman Mothershed in some tight end roles and had Dae'Quan Wright ready as cover.

The Advocate's report had more good news for LSU. Princewill Umanmielen, second in the SEC with 8.5 sacks, left the Mississippi State win in the first quarter but was not on Wednesday's report either. Linebacker Whit Weeks and safety Dashawn Spears remain out, and freshman defensive tackle Richard Anderson is listed as doubtful.

What it means at Auburn

LSU (5-2) went 3-1 while Green was out. The Tigers beat No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6, beat McNeese, lost 35-34 at Kentucky and shut out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 last week. They are scoring about 40 points a game and allowing about 16. Auburn (4-2) comes in after the biggest result of its season, a 27-24 win at then-No. 1 Georgia. Its two losses came against Florida and at No. 17 Tennessee, and five of its six games have been decided by 10 points or fewer. The 11 a.m. kickoff is on ABC.

LSU is favored across the board, which tracks 12 venues. Novig has LSU at -257 on the moneyline and Auburn at +251. On the spread, LSU is favored by 7.5. Novig prices LSU -7.5 at +104 and Auburn +7.5 at -111, while the best Auburn price anywhere is -110 at theScore Bet. The total is 51.5, with Novig at +102 on the over and -111 on the under. theScore Bet's -110 is the best under price. BetMGM has the best over price, -115, but at a lower total of 50.5.

The venues are close to one another. On the Auburn spread and the under, Novig is one cent behind the best price, or about 82 cents per $100. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.4% to 6.2% on the moneyline and up to 6.7% on the spread and total. With Green back, LSU gets a tight end who can stretch the field, which could help an offense that has already pushed past 50 points twice.