Detroit's new offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi, comes from the New Orleans Saints, so you've probably heard plenty of talk that top pick Eric Ebron is going to be their version of Jimmy Graham. But other players stand to be used in similar ways to some of the Saints' stars in recent years, like maybe their third-string running back.
This article in the Detroit Free Press puts forth the idea that second-year back Theo Riddick is going to be the next Darren Sproles. "I'm telling you, if he doesn't get 50 catches this year, I’ll be surprised because he’s going to have opportunities and he’s very talented at it," says backup QB Dan Orlovsky. “I think he’s going to play that Sproles role, for sure."
Riddick is of course limited by the fact that he's behind two other talented running backs, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. There was even talk a little while back that Mikel Leshoure would have a role in the offense this year, talk which it seems can reasonably be dismissed as unlikely.
There's also the fact that Orlovsky, best-known of course for running out of the back of his own end zone a few years back, saying something isn't the same as Lombardi saying it.
But it's ample reason to think that the Lions, like the Saints in recent years, might use three different running backs on a regular basis. Maybe the story isn't that Riddick is a sleeper, but that Reggie Bush is being drafted too early, and that Joique Bell won't be as productive as some think.
In any event, those in dynasty leagues should make sure Riddick is on a roster, especially those with PPR scoring. And with Bush getting up there in years for a running back, maybe Riddick will find himself in more of a 1-2 punch situation with Bell as soon as 2015.
--Andy Richardson