With the pads on, the Lions spent one period working on their goal line offense and defense. Zach Zenner had two touchdown runs in four plays with the first-team offense - note to fantasy football players, Zenner was getting goal-line reps for the Lions.

Related players: Ameer Abdullah

Nate Atkins of MLive tweeted today that "Abdullah can be a game changer" so it's not all bad news for Abdullah owners. We believe that Abdullah can still break out even if he's not getting the goal line work, and he's bound to get a few carries inside the 5-yard line. Joe Holka was very impressed with Abdullah after studying him for his Rushing Expectation series.

NFC North beat writers were asked about the Lions run game and the possibility of a balanced offense:

Rob Demovsky: In short, no, unless the return of Ameer Abdullah from the foot injury that ruined his 2016 season is a game-changer or Matt Asiata suddenly becomes something more than just the complementary piece he was in Minnesota. Otherwise, it looks a lot like the status quo for the Lions' offense, which will once again rely heavily on quarterback Matthew Stafford.

That's not a bad thing given his ability to get on a hot streak as he showed last season. The good news is he has an upgraded offensive line led by former Packers Pro Bowl guard T.J. Lang to protect him.

Related players: Theo Riddick

All three beat writers who write for opponents of the Lions in the NFC North seemed to agree the Lions will need to rely on Stafford again this season, and the run game's current status won't give the team balance on offense. No one thinks Abdullah is a sure thing, but if he can stay healthy he'll obviously give the run game a little boost.

The Detroit Lions didn’t select a running back this weekend in the annual NFL draft, and after it was over, general manager Bob Quinn said third-year pro Ameer Abdullah will be the team’s starting running back this fall.

Abdullah missed all but one-and-a-half games in 2016 with a foot injury that required surgery. He won the starting job last season and gained 101 yards on 18 carries before hurting his foot against Tennessee.

“He is,” Quinn said, when asked directly if Abdullah was his starter.

Abdullah was fully cleared to return this past winter and believes he still has the capability to be a premier running back in the league, something he said at the end of the season. Quinn called Abdullah’s injury “a fluke thing,” and said he thinks Theo Riddick will be ready to go as well.

“I feel pretty good about the position,” Quinn said. “There were a couple running backs we looked at in the middle part of the draft but just no one we felt was going to come in and really unseat any of the guys that we have on our roster.

“So we feel good about that spot.”

Both Abdullah and Riddick are going in the 7th round of early MFL10 drafts, and they both represent good values at that point in the draft. Riddick's per game average of 16.2 fantasy points (PPR) was the 8th-highest at his position. Riddick may not see as many carries with Abdullah back, but he should continue to play a big role in the passing game. In the one game that Abdullah played, Riddick turned 12 touches into 108 yards and two touchdowns, so he'll be involved even with Abdullah back in the lead role.

The Lions run game is obviously nowhere close to good enough, and changes have to be made. But whether that happens in the backfield or up front is uncertain. The blocking has been inconsistent at best, and sometimes just plain bad. There's a lot to like about Taylor Decker at left tackle, and I think the Lions have a good one in Graham Glasgow. Travis Swanson showed significant improvement this year too. But with Larry Warford and Riley Reiff both set to hit free agency, the Lions could look in other directions there.

Related players: Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick

The story pointed out Theo Riddick just signed a three-year, $12.75 million extension that doesn't even kick in until 2017. So he's not going anywhere. As for Abdullah, the story pointed out it's too early to give up on him. He didn't sit a single game last year -- but obviously missing all last offseason like he did with the shoulder injury, then playing only two games before suffering the foot injury, is going to slow his development too. This writer also didn't seem too optimistic about Abdullah returning this year even if the Lions make a playoff run.

The Lions lost their most complete back Wednesday when Ameer Abdullah was placed on injured reserve. It leaves three backs for Detroit to use: Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner.

Of the three, Riddick has the most experience and Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday that Riddick will be "the lead guy" in Detroit. But others will get work, too.

Zenner has shown power. Washington has a combination of size and speed. But none of them have been in a lead role before in the NFL.

To help reinforce the thought the Lions needed complete backs, Walker spent time this offseason working with Riddick -- a premier pass-catcher -- on moving his eyes to the proper position to see holes. He worked with him on how to set up defenders to make his blocks even more useful and how to see the developing creases set up by offensive linemen faster.

“When we’re sitting in the film room and we have a clicker in our hand and we can pause stuff and see things, that’s one way,” Walker said. “But guys gotta be able to make split-second decisions on the field and he’s learning where to put his eyes to help him make those split-second decisions.”

So far, Riddick has been a superior runner to what he’s done in the past. He’s averaging 4.56 yards per carry. More importantly, he looks more confident as a rusher than he ever has in the past, too. It helps that he’s being used in a variety of ways now as a runner instead of mostly as a third-down or two-minute runner, as he was in the past.

Riddick said his improved vision comes from Walker's teachings.

The Lions are willing to give Riddick carries this year (9.0 per game) after he averaged just 2.7 carries per game last season. The early returns are good, but a Week 1 matchup with the Colts has a lot to do with his 4.6 YPC. We expect Washington to see 8-12 touches per game, but he'll have to hold off Zach Zenner as the goal line back to have weekly fantasy value. Week 3 is shaping up to be a "Riddick game" since the Lions are expected to be playing from behind for most of the day.

The Lions have placed RB Ameer Abdullah on IR. With Abdullah out for the year, Theo Riddick now becomes Detroit's top RB, with rookie Dwayne Washington next, then Zach Zenner.

Related players: Joique Bell

Riddick was already shaping up as a solid RB2 in PPR formats, and this cements his status. The Lions look to be more willing to hand the ball to Riddick than they have in the past. At 223 lbs and with good measurables, Dwayne Washington is worth an immediate pickup in all leagues as he is likely to take over the team's "big back" role. Joique Bell was the #14 RB in this role (#13 in PPR formats) in 2014, before Abdullah joined the team. We're not expecting that sort of upside for Washington with Riddick's expanded rushing role, but it's not out of the question. Zach Zenner becomes an interesting name to monitor, and the Lions also worked out Bell on Tuesday, but he'd likely serve as depth.

Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah is headed to North Carolina to seek a second opinion on his injured foot from Dr. Robert Anderson, according to ESPN.

Abdullah injured his foot during a 16-15 loss Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Multiple outlets are reporting he is believed to have a foot sprain.

He was able to play only 17 snaps before the injury, but still managed to carry the ball six times for 38 yards. And that's not counting a 14-yard touchdown that was nullified by an Eric Ebron holding penalty.

Abdullah then injured the foot on a second-quarter run and limped to the sideline. He eventually returned to the locker room, and Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington finished off the game. Those guys are expected to shoulder the load if Abdullah is unable to play Sunday against Green Bay, the story said. Zach Zenner could also see some time.

Lions running back Ameer Abdullah exited today’s game against the Titans with a foot injury.

The team initially said he’s questionable to return but then ruled him out, the story said. Dwayne Washington had four carries for 31 yards and had some positive press over the summer. Theo Riddick ran 11 times but only collected 37 yards. Should Abdullah have to miss time, Washington and Riddick would likely have big roles.

While Ameer Abdullah is clearly Detroit’s best option at running back, don’t expect him to carry the ball like Adrian Peterson or Doug Martin. The Lions aren’t planning on anything like that for him. Not even close.

He’ll get his touches. Just not like a traditional lead back might.

“I don’t envision him carrying the ball 30 times in a ballgame,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “I think he’s capable, certainly, but that’s not his strength. I think he’s one of those guys that you have to get it to him a number of different ways.

“Do I think he’s durable enough to do it? Absolutely. Do I think he’s strong enough to do it? Absolutely. But I just don’t think that’s his cup of tea.”

It sounds as if Abdullah will have a larger role in the passing game after averaging just 1.6 catches per game as a rookie. Zach Zenner will be used in relief and we know Theo Riddick will be used frequently as a receiver.

The Detroit Lions are halfway through the preseason, which means there’s less than two weeks remaining before the roster has to be trimmed to its initial 53 on Sept. 3.

There are plenty of tough decisions on the horizon for general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell, which was one of Quinn’s main objectives when taking over in January. Who makes the cut at running back is one of those tough decisions.

Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are in. That we already know.

Caldwell has entered the regular season with four running backs and a fullback on the roster in each of the last two seasons. That means four players – Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington, George Winn and Stevan Ridley – are fighting for what will likely be two roster spots. Zenner and Washington have played more consistently and made more plays throughout training camp and the first two preseason games. The story added Washington has made the most splash plays, with a combo of power and speed. The team's RB3 would have some fantasy potential should something happen to Abdullah or Riddick.