Joique Bell figures to be atop the running back depth chart in Detroit, but it looks risky to assume he'll be featured. Listening to him talk, he's not even counting on definitely being the starter.
"I think that's something you have to talk to coach (Jim) Caldwell about," Bell said yesterday. "He knows the depth chart better than I do. I can't give out false (estimations) right now."
The Lions selected Ameer Abdullah in the second round, and he's likely to be in a complementary, secondary role. He's an excellent pass catcher and more explosive than Bell. But even Abdullah will need to beat out Theo Riddick for that job. It's also possible that all three backs will get a healthy chunk of the workload.
"Typically now, in this day and age, you generally don't have just one guy at that position because it requires teamwork," says Caldwell. "It requires more than one or two, so there's a role for all of those guys."
I'm in an experts dynasty league rookie draft right now, and I've got the 9th and 10th picks. I've already selected Abdullah in one such draft in about that spot, and I'm thinking he might be there again (the top 6 picks have been Gurley, Gordon, Cooper, White, Yeldon and Agholor).
A three-headed committee makes Abdullah a less than ideal fantasy starter, but we'll see how things play out. Bell, it should be noted, is coming off knee and Achilles surgery, and he turns 29 in August. A year from now, Abdullah might look pretty good.
--Andy Richardson
