Last year, you would be hard pressed to find someone who was more excited about Lions running back Ameer Abdullah than me as a Fantasy option. I had high expectations for his rookie campaign, he was touted in most of my columns and I drafted him whenever possible.
And he flopped.
The Abdullah fan club was a lonely place, especially if you were the president. But let's hope his sophomore season will make us forget about his rookie regrets.
The Lions have already put things in motion to help Abdullah when they cut Joique Bell on Tuesday. The move saves the Lions $2.5 million in cap space, but it also gives Abdullah the chance to prove he can be a featured back.
Prior to free agency and the draft, he is expected to share work with Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner, and the hope is Abdullah shows he's more talented than his teammates. Riddick is more of a pass-catching back, which could limit Abdullah's receptions, and Zenner should work in short-yardage situations, which could hurt Abdullah's touchdown total. But in terms of a complete back, Abdullah should be the best bet in Detroit.
Still, he has a lot to prove after what we saw as a rookie in 2015. He finished the year with just 143 carries for 597 yards and two touchdowns and 25 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, and he lost two fumbles. He only had two games with double digits in Fantasy points in a standard league, and he finished the season with 10 games scoring five points or less.
The Lions certainly gave Abdullah chances to showcase his skills, but it's not like they gave him a long leash. He had six games with double digits in carries, but only once did he have more than 15 carries and just three games with at least 15 touches. Like most running backs, he should improve the more he touches the ball.
Now, he did run better when Jim Bob Cooter took over as offensive coordinator with 81 carries for 375 yards (4.6 yards per carry) in the final nine games, which should bode well for this season. And Detroit's offense should look dramatically different if Calvin Johnson does in fact retire, which could mean a bigger emphasis on the run game.
The offensive line needs improvement, and if the defense can play as it did to close the season -- the Lions held their final nine opponents to 21 points or less six times -- that will help the running game immensely. But if Detroit is playing from behind, and if the passing game is lacking with Johnson gone, Riddick could have a bigger role than Abdullah.
We'll see what the Lions do this offseason to address their needs, especially at wide receiver, and if another running back is added. But Adbullah has the chance to improve in 2016, and this time the price tag is cheaper.
Based on his preseason hype, he was being drafted on average in Round 6 last year, but in some leagues he was going as high as Round 4. In our first analyst standard mock draft this offseason, I drafted Abdullah in Round 7. What, you thought I would let someone else draft him? Come on.
In that draft, he was my No. 4 running back, which is the perfect risk/reward scenario. He won't be a starter for me or even a flex option coming into the season, but he could emerge as a starter if things work out in his favor. I also drafted Riddick in Round 12 as a handcuff.
I'm not as excited about Abdullah this season as I was last year. But based on Bell being gone and the chance for Abdullah to get more work, he's definitely worth a mid-round flier. The talent is there, and now it's up to him to prove it as a Fantasy starter in the majority of leagues.
The fan club could once again be open for business. I might even run again as the president.
