Ameer Abdullah (RB, DET) - 2015 Fantasy Football Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Round 7 as RB3

CURRENT ADP: 93 STD, 53 PPR

ANALYSIS: The Lions let Reggie Bush walk in free agency after Joique Bell did the heavy duty work and Theo Riddick proved himself just as effective in the passing game. Despite having Bell and Riddick, Detroit used their second round pick on Ameer Abdullah.

Abdullah is a complete back who showed the ability to handle a full workload at Nebraska. He averaged over 19 carries a game, while also catching at least 20 passes in each of his three seasons as the starter.

Bell is a 29-year old back who had knee and achilles surgeries during the offseason and hasn’t been that efficient as a ball carrier over the past two seasons, averaging just 3.9 yards on each of his 389 carries. That puts him 22nd of 25 backs with at least 300 carries over that span-- right behind Zac Stacy and just ahead of Ben Tate, Steven Jackson and Trent Richardson, none of whom are expected to get the most carries for their respective teams in 2015.

Bell should be the starter in week one, but Abdullah could potentially overtake him as early as the preseason. Even if Bell does top the depth chart, he likely wouldn't survive another sluggish start--he managed just 120 yards on 40 carries in his first three games last year.

The Lions dealt with some injuries and poor play along the offensive line last season, which surely played a big role in why they ranked 30th in yards per carry. Laken Tomlinson, the first guard off the board in 2015, was one of four offensive lineman selected by the Lions this past May. Lastly, former third-rounder Travis Swanson is expcted to replace aging center Dominic Raiola. With Riley Rieff and Larry Warford locked in and LaAdrian Waddle hopefully ready to return at right tackle, these two changes should make Detriot's offensive line considerably better than it was last year.

Even if you like Joique Bell at his current ADP of 56th overall, it makes a lot of sense to grab Abdullah, as well, despite having a higher price than most handcuffs. The Lions got decent production out of their RB2 last year: 842 total yards and four touchdowns. That alone would make Abdullah a fair value as the RB33, and his upside is much greater than that.