There was a story over the weekend that the Lions could shop Ameer Abdullah. My knee jerk reaction was, for what, exactly? Abdullah has been in the league three years now, and he's been nothing but disappointing. A couple of flashes in the preseason, but nowhere to be found when the games start.
Abdullah was healthy and got the most work of his career last season, but averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. That's not all on him (nobody has run well for the Lions in recent years), but the frequency with which he lost yards on his carries was notable. Abdullah was stuffed on over 18 percent of his carries a year ago. Only LeSean McCoy was worse, and McCoy at least counters those negative plays with plenty of positive ones (he averaged 4.0 yards per carry and rushed for over 1,1oo yards). Abdullah has no such positive production going for him.
| RUNNING BACK STUFFS, 2017 (100+ ATTEMPTS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Stuff | Pct |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 287 | 55 | 19.2% |
| Ameer Abdullah, Det. | 165 | 30 | 18.2% |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia.-Phil. | 208 | 36 | 17.3% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 276 | 44 | 15.9% |
| Kenyan Drake, Mia. | 133 | 21 | 15.8% |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 178 | 28 | 15.7% |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 150 | 23 | 15.3% |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 176 | 26 | 14.8% |
| Adrian Peterson, N.O.-Ariz. | 156 | 23 | 14.7% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 138 | 20 | 14.5% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 240 | 33 | 13.8% |
| Alex Collins, Balt. | 212 | 29 | 13.7% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 178 | 24 | 13.5% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 156 | 21 | 13.5% |
| LeGarrette Blount, Phil. | 173 | 23 | 13.3% |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 284 | 37 | 13.0% |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 153 | 19 | 12.4% |
| Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 268 | 32 | 11.9% |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 279 | 33 | 11.8% |
| Latavius Murray, Minn. | 216 | 24 | 11.1% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 198 | 22 | 11.1% |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 117 | 13 | 11.1% |
| Dion Lewis, N.E. | 180 | 19 | 10.6% |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 105 | 11 | 10.5% |
| Alfred Morris, Dall. | 115 | 12 | 10.4% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 207 | 21 | 10.1% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 261 | 26 | 10.0% |
| Samaje Perine, Wash. | 175 | 17 | 9.7% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 206 | 20 | 9.7% |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 105 | 10 | 9.5% |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 238 | 22 | 9.2% |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 184 | 17 | 9.2% |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 272 | 24 | 8.8% |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 103 | 9 | 8.7% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 245 | 21 | 8.6% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 321 | 27 | 8.4% |
| Kerwynn Williams, Ariz. | 120 | 10 | 8.3% |
| Wayne Gallman, NYG | 111 | 9 | 8.1% |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 242 | 19 | 7.9% |
| Mike Gillislee, N.E. | 104 | 8 | 7.7% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 196 | 15 | 7.7% |
| Orleans Darkwa, NYG | 171 | 12 | 7.0% |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 120 | 8 | 6.7% |
| Peyton Barber, T.B. | 108 | 6 | 5.6% |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 112 | 6 | 5.4% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 230 | 12 | 5.2% |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 153 | 6 | 3.9% |
If you expand the list to look at backs with 50-plus attempts, another Lion, Theo Riddick, shows up unfavorably (stuffed on over 17 percent of his attempts). So the offense itself is a problem. But nobody would consider Riddick a viable running back -- he's on the field for his ability as a receiver and in pass protection. He's better than Abdullah in both of those areas.
I suspect Abdullah will get dealt for a late-round pick or perhaps an exchange of picks during or immediately after the draft, maybe to some team that didn't get a runner during the draft. But unlikely he becomes a significant fantasy player; more likely he's headed for a change-of-pace or receiving role (maybe a returner) until he quietly drops out of the league.
--Andy Richardson