Lions breakout star: Ameer Abdullah will dominate behind upgraded offensive line

Now Playing

Link copied!

Ameer Abdullah has endured a tough start to his Detroit Lions career.

First, fumbling problems derailed his rookie season in 2015. Then, with that seemingly in the rearview mirror and a good one-and-a-half game start, a Lisfranc injury ended his bid at redemption in 2016. Such have been the unsettling early breaks.

Now, though, Abdullah is finally back on the right track and hungry to become the difference-maker many figure he should be. He looks healthy after taking part in OTAs and not missed a beat. Combined with an upgraded offensive line, Abdullah will chart a course to break out during the 2017 season.

(The Lions are back at training camp! Don't MISS anything as they prepare to try and return to the playoffs -- take five seconds to Sign up for our Free Lions newsletter now!)

Perhaps the best evidence for an Abdullah turnaround lies within what the runner did last season just before he succumbed to the foot injury. Against the Indianapolis Colts, he rumbled for 120 all-purpose yards and a score. In the game against the Tennessee Titans, he had 38 yards on the ground on just six carries before disaster struck.

In total, that's 158 yards in a short amount of time when healthy.

This offseason, likely with these facts in mind, the Lions showed confidence in their runner and likely hedged a bet on him. The team didn't make a major addition at running back in either the draft or free agency. Instead, they invested heavily in the offensive line with Rick Wagner and T.J. Lang entering the mix, feeling if they improved those spots, Abdullah would have a better chance to operate.

Frankly, given the inconsistency the Lions have shown along the offensive front through the years, that seems like a wise choice.

SportsLine projects Abdullah to get just 177 touches this year, but the rest of the team's running back projections shows he has a far higher ceiling if he can stay on the field:

	RuAtt	RuYd	RuAvg	RuTD	Recpt	ReYd	ReAvg	ReTD	FP*
Ameer Abdullah	146	566	3.9	3	31	273	8.8	2	111
Theo Riddick	70	268	3.8	2	71	539	7.6	5	118
Zach Zenner	56	209	3.7	3	24	244	10	0	65
Dwayne Washington	51	150	2.9	1	14	93	6.4	0	33

*Fantasy points

The Lions haven't had an elite running back hold down the position in decades, and combined with everything else, it feels as if the stars have aligned for Abdullah to finally be that guy starting this season for the team.