When the Lions selected Ameer Abdullah in the second round last year, the possibility of him being a viable all-purpose type of back made him intriguing. And when he delivered a couple of electric, highlight-reel plays in his first exhibition game, the hype increased.
But Abdullah had a problem with fumbles as a rookie, and Detroit's usage of him and personnel moves makes it clear he's going to have limited appeal in 2016. They cut Joique Bell, but yesterday added Stevan Ridley. Between him and second-year back Zach Zenner, they'll find someone to take the bulk of the early-down rushing attempts, including probably goal-line work.
Unfortunately for Abdullah, he might not get much work in passing situations, either. The coaching staff (unchanged from last year) prefers Theo Riddick, who caught 80 balls for 697 yards and 3 TDs last year.
So if Abdullah isn't the main ballcarrier, main passing downs back, or main option in the red zone, what exactly is the second-round pick going to do? Most likely he'll get a share of the work in all situations, but not much of it. Not enough to have a big season or even be used in fantasy leagues. He'll need an injury to have a defined, large-scale role.
Injuries to running backs aren't exactly unlikely, but it's tough to find any reason to select Abdullah in 2016 fantasy drafts. It's an offense that had only 7 rushing touchdowns a year ago, better than only five teams. Probably won't be enough production to make any of the committee particularly valuable.
--Andy Richardson
