The Lions have fired OC Joe Lombardi.  The offense has been a mess for most of the year and currently ranks 20th in yards per game and 29th in points per game.  The complete lack of a running game has been the biggest problem.  Detroit sits dead last in rush yards per game and 31st in yards per carry.  Lombardi will be replaced by Jim Bob Cooter, who was hired as QBs coach prior to the 2014 campaign.  He worked with QB Peyton Manning in Denver in 2013 and also spent time with the Colts and Titans.  We're skeptical that this move will do much for the Lions offense going forward.

Lions RB Joique Bell (Achilles) is probable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.  He averaged just 1.1 yards per carry in Detroit's first 3 games before missing the last 3.  Bell shouldn't be in Week 7 fantasy lineups, but his return is another knock against RB Ameer Abdullah.

Lions RB Zach Zenner will miss the rest of the season with multiple cracked ribs and a collapsed lung, according to the Detroit News' Josh Katzenstein.  It's a tough break for a rookie who impressed this preseason and was starting to see a bigger role.  We'll see if Joique Bell (Achilles) can return this coming week as Detroit's "big back."  The entire backfield is in flux with RB Ameer Abdullah struggling with fumbles and suffering a stinger yesteday.

Lions HC Jim Caldwell said after Sunday's game that RB Ameer Abdullah suffered a stinger in the 3rd quarter.  He fumbled on that play and was sidelined for a long stretch, but it wasn't immediately clear if he was hurt or benched.  "We didn't bench him for a period," Caldwell said. "He was hurt -- a little stinger -- and couldn't go back in."  Abdullah returned in overtime, carrying twice and catching 2 balls.  The rookie has now fumbled 3 times in the last 2 games -- after entering the league with ball-security issues.  He should be fine for Week 7 but will be tough to trust in fantasy lineups.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah fumbled on an early 3rd-quarter run and hasn't returned to the game since. He recovered the fumble and was clearly dealing with abdominal pain after the play, but the team had yet to announce an injury as of the middle of the 4th quarter. It's certainly a situation to monitor. Theo Riddick took over the backfield afterward, with Joique Bell and Zach Zenner already injured.

UPDATE: Abdullah returned for OT.

Lions RB Theo Riddick (groin) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game against the Bears. He popped up on the injury report on Thursday and then did not practice on Friday. Owners shouldn’t be counting on him this week. Riddick’s absence would likely mean more passing-down work for RB Ameer Abdullah.

Lions RB Joique Bell (Achilles) is practicing in full this week and is set to return for Sunday's game against the Bears.  He missed the last 2 games and averaged a pathetic 1.1 yards per carry in the first 3.  Detroit shouldn't use him as anything other than a short-yardage back.  Rookie Ameer Abdullah should continue to lead the backfield in touches.

Lions HC Jim Caldwell said Thursday that he has "no plan" to limit RB Ameer Abdullah's carries going forward, per insider Tim Twentyman.  The rookie was benched last week after fumbling twice in the 2nd half.  But Detroit knows that Abdullah is their best RB.  We're expecting him to lead the backfield in touches against the Bears this weekend, even if RB Joique Bell returns.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah fumbled twice in the first 20 minutes of Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.  He never got back on the field, with Zach Zenner and Theo Riddick handling backfield duties the rest of the game.  Ball security was a problem for Abdullah in college, where he fumbled 24 times in 4 seasons.  Detroit will go back to the rookie -- they need to -- and the fumbles are a correctable problem.  But the chance of another in-game benching adds risk to Abdullah's weekly outlook.

Lions RB Joique Bell (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. He didn’t practice at all this week, and there’s no timetable for his return. With Bell out last week, RB Ameer Abdullah played 54% of the snaps and saw a season-high 15 touches. The rookie is a low-end RB2 in a tough matchup.

Lions RB Joique Bell (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday night's game against the Seahawks.  We don't have any details about his injury, but he didn't practice all week, so he's certainly not a lock to return for Week 5.  Bell's absence on Monday should mean a bigger workload for RB Ameer Abdullah.  It makes him a low-end RB2 in a difficult matchup.  RB Zach Zenner also figures to see some action but can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.

Lions RB Joique Bell (ankle) missed practice on Thursday. Bell has started the season slowly and certainly isn’t a fantasy option – if he plays – at Seattle. But if Bell sits, Ameer Abdullah would gain some appeal as an RB2. Detroit vs. Seattle is the Monday night game, so hopefully we have some clarity here by Sunday morning.

Lions OC Joe Lombardi says RB Ameer Abduallah will be used "extensively" in the passing game.  It sounds like Detroit is going to at least give RB Joique Bell a chance to stick as the lead ball-carrier to open the season.  We think he'll eventually give way to Abdullah.  In the meantime, the rookie will still be a fantasy factor because of his big-play ability and his role as a receiver.  For what it's worth, Tim Twentyman of the team's official website believes Abdullah is "certainly a better receiver already than Reggie Bush was."  Bush caught 94 balls in 25 games (3.8 per game) with the Lions over the last 2 years. 

Lions RB Joique Bell ran with the 1st-team offense in his return to practice on Monday. "I did everything with the ones," Bell said. "I was limited, as far as reps, but I did everything. Everything from team blitz to regular team."  Consider this a case of veteran deference.  This is Bell's 4th year with Detroit, while his backfield competition consists of a couple of rookies.  "Bell remains the Lions' No. 1 tailback — for now, at least," insider Kyle Meinke writes.  Touches remain up for grabs in this backfield, and our money is on the fresh, explosive Ameer Abdullah winning the majority of them this season.  Bell might even lose some work to rookie Zach Zenner, who's been ultra-impressive this preseason.  The Lions RB situation will be worth tracking closely early on this season.

Lions RB Joique Bell continues to progress in his return from offseason knee surgery, MLive.com reports, but he won't play at all in the preseason and is not guaranteed to return in time for the regular-season opener. "It's based off how I feel," Bell said. "As of right now, I'm still playing it by ear. We'll see what happens next week." Bell has played all but 1 game for the Lions over the past 3 years, so they don't need to see anything particular from him in preseason game action. It's also tough to expect him to return to a full role, though, without at least some full practice time before the season. We'll see how the next couple of weeks go. Bell's an OK chance to take at his current mid-8th round ADP but too iffy to be a target in fantasy football drafts.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah dazzled in Thursday night's preseason opener.  Working with both the 1st and 2nd-team offenses, the rookie ripped off 67 yards on 7 carries.  The highlight was this sick 45-yarder that displayed his ankle-breaking ability and impressive burst.  Abdullah's big debut follows a buzz-filled start to training camp.  RB Joique Bell -- whenever he gets healthy -- is going to have a tough time holding off Abdullah for touches.  The rookie continues to climb our RB rankings and is worth drafting as a RB2 with upside.  We'll have to see how high his ADP climbs.

Lions insider Dave Birkett says RB Ameer Abdullah has looked like he can "hold his own in pass protection" so far.  Blocking ability tends to play a big part in determining just how much action rookie RBs see.  Abdullah has been dazzling all offseason with his speed and quickness in the running game.  And GM Martin Mayhew praised his receiving ability last week.  It sounds like Abdullah is ready to make an impact on all 3 downs this season.  There's big-time fantasy upside here.

Lions RB Joique Bell "put in some good work with a trainer on the side" Friday, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. That reportedly included cutting and stopping-and-starting. Meinke said Bell moved "deliberately" and that he's not expected to play in Thursday's preseason opener. But Meinke also said he wouldn't be surprised if Bell returned to practice next week. The veteran RB, of course, said in the offseason that he'd be ready for the start of camp -- but wasn't. We'll see how things progress from here. Rookie Ameer Abdullah has had some time to impress while Bell has been sidelined.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew praised RB Ameer Abdullah's receiving ability. "He catches the ball a lot better than what I thought," Mayhew said. "They didn't use him a lot in the passing game in college, so we were kind of unsure how good he would be in the passing game. He's going to be really good as a receiver out of the backfield, it's obvious. The guy's got great body control. He's always in control. You never see him off-balance or out of control moving down the field. So he's a talented kid and he has a lot of upside, I think." Abdullah caught a modest 72 balls over his final 3 college seasons but averaged 9.4 yards per and scored 7 TDs. He has the type of make-you-miss ability that makes him dangerous when he catches the ball out in space. We just bumped up our receiving projections for Abdullah.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah will "play a similar role as Reggie Bush in [OC] Joe Lombardi's offense," according to insider Tim Twentyman.  Bush averaged 6.9 carries and 3.6 catches per game -- a 16-game pace of 110 carries and 58 catches -- despite being banged-up much of last season.  Abdullah is unlikely to reach that reception total but should zoom by 110 carries, especially if RB Joique Bell continues to struggle with his knee and Achilles. “I’m pretty comfortable right now,” Abdullah said after Monday's practice. “Getting faster and faster, so each day is a new process. Hopefully tomorrow is faster than today.”