Lions running back Ameer Abdullah could potentially be out for the season, according to reports on Sunday
Before the season, Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah looked like an excellent breakout option for fantasy owners with an improved offensive line in front of him. Through two weeks, he showed the potential that made the Detroit Lions select him with a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Ameer Abdullah went down with a foot injury in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the Lions were forced to place him on the injured reserve after his visit with Dr. Robert Anderson.
Abdullah needed foot surgery, but the prevailing belief seemed to be that he would return after the team’s Week 10 bye. Players on the injured reserve can be activated after eight weeks under the NFL’s new rules, so fantasy owners held onto Abdullah in the hopes that this would happen. Even the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Lions are holding out hope for him to come back “shortly” after the bye.
Today, Rotoworld dishes out a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on “NFL Insiders,” stating that the Lions now “think” Abdullah will be done for the entire season with a torn ligament. Rapoport reported that the injury is a “badly sprained foot/ankle.” But the injury may be even more serious than initially thought.
For now, Theo Riddick should soak up most of the Lions touches, because he’s the most talented back on the roster until proven otherwise. Zach Zenner is a SPARQ star and high-upside candidate lurking, but Dwayne Washington is more fantasy-relevant in the short term as the Lions goal-line back (a designation he held before Abdullah went down).
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Prior to his injury, Abdullah was one of the more exciting backs in the league, performing ridiculous moves to break the ankles of defenders, averaging a ridiculous 5.6 yards per carry in the process.
Let’s hope the injury isn’t as severe as the Lions believe, based on Schefter’s latest report.