Ameer Abdullah, Joique Bell Post-Week 3 Fantasy Advice

The Detroit Lions were a mess in a number of areas during their 24-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but the performance from the rushing attack was arguably the biggest concern. That is not what fantasy owners who are relying on Ameer Abdullah or Joique Bell want to hear. 

Here is a look at the outings from the two Lions running backs:

Player	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns	Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdown Catches	Targets	Fantasy Points
Ameer Abdullah	8	23	0	2	19	1	5	10.2
Joique Bell	10	6	1	1	-2	0	1	6.4

The good news is that each found the end zone. That helped cancel out what would have been a putrid performance for fantasy purposes, but it is still hard to trust a Detroit running back moving forward after the two combined for 29 yards on 18 carries.

Lions fans and fantasy owners are likely frustrated with the running game, and rightly so, but Denver’s defense is swarming with athletes who get to the ball. It will probably finish as one of the best defensive units in the league this season and hold a number of opposing running backs in check.

The Broncos finished second in the NFL against the run in 2014 and already held the Baltimore Ravens to 73 rushing yards and 3.2 yards per carry earlier this year. Yes, Denver struggled against Jamaal Charles in Week 2, but that is a testament to his individual greatness more than anything else.

The silver lining for Abdullah was his touchdown catch. When he gets the ball in space with his athleticism and speed, good things usually happen. The NFL shared the highlight:

This was not the first time he has gotten involved in the passing game. Abdullah notched four catches for 44 yards in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers (he also ran for a season-high 50 yards in that game) and could make some fantasy noise as a receiver out of the backfield this year.

Given his production in college and elusiveness during his touchdown Sunday, skill is not the question. In fact, Abdullah combined for 3,301 rushing yards, 501 receiving yards and 33 total touchdowns during his final two seasons at Nebraska and caught Detroit’s eye in the process.

Still, he saw the most carries of his young NFL career Sunday and failed to deliver on the ground. On one hand, the coaching staff is apparently developing more trust in the rookie, but fantasy owners need to see better results if they plan on starting Abdullah.

As for Bell, Sunday’s game against the Broncos was not an impressive bounce-back effort after he ran for a whopping two yards in Week 2. Sure, Bell found the end zone from a yard out, but Dave Richard of CBS Sports pointed to the talent disparity between the two Detroit backs:

As the rookie becomes accustomed to the NFL game, he will likely see his opportunities increase. That spells trouble for fantasy owners who are relying on Bell. 

The difference was apparent using the eye test alone when Abdullah was in the open field. On the other hand, Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com perfectly described Bell's speed and agility Sunday:

It’s not as though Bell has a dominant track record to fall back on, either.

He set a career high in 2014 with 860 rushing yards, although he notched only 3.9 yards per carry in the process. He tallied 650 and 414 rushing yards in the two previous years, respectively, and doesn’t appear to be on his way to reaching the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time with a combined 22 rushing yards in the first three weeks of 2015.

There is no reason to trust a running back who averaged 0.57 yards per carry in the last two games, especially if there is a more talented rookie who is vying for carries behind him on the depth chart. 

What’s more, quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t hesitate to put the ball in the air. Here is a look at where he finished in passing attempts in the past four seasons:

Season	Attempts	NFL Rank
2011	663	1
2012	727	1
2013	634	4
2014	602	5

Detroit’s tendency to let the ball fly is great if you are counting on wide receiver Calvin Johnson to give you fantasy numbers, but it is a serious problem for any possible running back production.

Touchdown or not, Bell appears to be a lost cause in this pass-happy offense for fantasy purposes. Abdullah has potential, but it is nearly impossible to trust him until he sees more touches and establishes a track record.

For now, drop Bell and monitor Abdullah’s progress for a prospective move later in the season.