It's been quite the offseason for debating the state of the Detroit Lions' backfield. Following the second-round pick of running back Ameer Abdullah, many thought Joique Bell's days as the No. 1 ball carrier were over. However, once Bell was removed from the physically unable to perform list, he immediately was inserted as the starting running back.
But the rookie RB led all Detroit ball carriers in snaps in the team's season opener against the San Diego Chargers this past weekend. On top of that, he racked up 94 total yards and one touchdown. Bell, meanwhile, totaled 41 yards with zero scores on eight total touches.
"What he did (Sunday) is kind of what we see him doing," head coach Jim Caldwell said of Abdullah. "He's returning kicks, he's running the ball and he's catching the ball out of the backfield. I'm not certain there's anything more (he can do) than that. He had 199 yards or so of total offense. That's the kind of role that I think you'll see him play, for the most part."
This has to be seen as good news for fantasy football owners who took a flier on Abdullah and bad news for those that expected more from Bell. The rookie's dynamic play-making ability will be useful, especially in points per reception fantasy leagues. However, he only received 11 total offensive touches, far fewer than other comparable backs in the league. Abdullah's kick return duties may be holding him back in the offensive workload department.
"I think (Ameer's) a guy that gets the ball a number of different ways, too" Caldwell said. "I think you have to look at the total. He's carrying the ball on kick returns, he's carrying the ball on pass receiving, he's carrying the ball from scrimmage. So that's a pretty good sampling size there."
Fantasy owners will want to monitor the running back's workload going forward to see how involved Caldwell keeps the solid-yet-unspectacular Bell in the offensive game plan. Abdullah is a great flex option but nothing more until he takes sole control of the starting RB1 duties.
