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Lions OC Joe Lombardi on whether Ameer Abdullah has surpassed Joique Bell: "We'll see."

Abdullah out-snapped Bell 21-to-18 and out-touched him 11-to-8. Abdullah is the more explosive player, but the Lions know they need to be careful since he doesn't have the size to hold up to a huge workload. The Vikings got gashed by Carlos Hyde over and over on Monday night, so Abdullah could have a big Week 2 if he sees more touches.

The Detroit Lions didn't leave Qualcomm Stadium with many positive takeaways after suffering a colossal collapse, but rookie running back Ameer Abdullah is one player who shined in the 33-28 loss versus the San Diego Chargers.

Abdullah carried the ball, caught passes and returned kickoffs for a total of 199 all-purpose yards. Moving forward, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell plans to use the young back in similar fashion.

"What he did (Sunday) is kind of what we see him doing," Caldwell said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "He's returning kicks, he's running the ball and he's catching the ball out of the backfield. I'm not certain there's anything more (he can do) than that. He had 199 yards or so of total offense. That's the kind of role that I think you'll see him play, for the most part."

Abdullah recorded 11 offensive touches versus the Chargers (seven rushes, four receptions), which means he touched the ball on 23.4 percent of the Lions' 47 offensive plays. The Lions want to keep Joique Bell and Theo Riddick in the mix, according to the Detroit Free Press, so don't expect a huge spike in Abdullah's offensive touches any time soon. We just posted a news story about how the team will likely phase out Riddick, who will mainly be a pass catcher and didn't get a rush in Week 1. Abdullah sure seems like the back to own in this offense, especially in PPR leagues.

Joique Bell got the start. Ameer Abdullah got the most touches. Even the undrafted kid, Zach Zenner, got a couple first-half carries.

And then there's Theo Riddick. Remember him?

He was such an offseason darling last year that he got his own hype train. But all that talk about him breaking into the rotation proved to be just that -- talk. He had some nice moments as a receiver, which has always been his strength, but he finished with just 20 carries for 51 yards on the ground and was neglected for long periods when everyone was healthy.

After the loss to San Diego on Sunday, it looks like it will be more of the same in 2015.

Riddick did not enter the game until 4 minutes remained in the second quarter. By then, every other tailback had touched the ball.

He didn't get any carries, and both of his catches -- for 37 yards and one touchdown -- came late in the fourth quarter with the game essentially sealed.

"When he gets the ball in his hands, he's pretty dangerous," coach Jim Caldwell said. "But then the other thing is, we have a number of guys that you're looking at. I think that's the thing that we have to manage."

Riddick's 21-yard touchdown catch was actually a brilliant play, creating separation from linebacker Manti Te'o with a great cut to the inside, then splitting three defensive backs for the score. But he finished with just eight offensive snaps overall, more than only receiver Corey Fuller (seven), Zenner (two) and offensive lineman Taylor Boggs (one). What we learned about Riddick from the opener: He might not play much this season, barring injury, and will be used primarily as a pass-catcher when he does see the field.

Although Detroit lost the game 33-28, it was encouraged by the re-emergence of the running game. And in particular, electrifying rookie tailback Ameer Abdullah.

Abdullah, selected in the second round of the NFL draft, finished with seven rushes for a team-high 50 yards, plus caught four passes for 44 yards. Toss in his work as the starting kick returner, and his 199 total yards were easily a team high.

His 50 rushing yards were the most by a Lions draft pick making his rookie debut since Barry Sanders rushed nine times for 71 yards against the Phoenix Cardinals in 1989. It was enough to make even the greatest receiver on the planet take notice.

"The guy has some shake-n-bake, man," receiver Calvin Johnson said. "He can get up and down the field for us."

Abdullah wasted no time flashing that shake-n-bake ability. He took his first career carry and veered right before sensing the hole to his left. So he cut back the run, and suddenly found himself in the open field, with only safety Eric Weddle standing between him and the end zone.

Many fantasy owners wondered how soon Abdullah would make an impact on the Lions offense and just how he would be used in the running game. He out-touched Joique Bell, who is coming back from an injury, but it's still a potentially good sign for owners in both standard and PPR formats.

OC Joe Lombardi on Ameer Abdullah: He's going to get a chance to run the ball, and he's going to get a chance to be used extensively in the passing game.

This is not a big surprise, but it's great to hear the OC confirm our suspicions that Abdullah is likely to take over the Reggie Bush role in the offense.

Ameer Abdullah is a better receiver than the Lions thought he'd be, certainly a better receiver already than Reggie Bush was. The Lions will use him a lot in that role and that could dip into Theo Riddick's numbers some.

We project Abdullah for 51 catches. Bush averaged 3.76 catches in 25 games with the Lions, which works out to 60.1 over a full 16-game season. Both Riddick and Joique Bell are adept in the passing game, so look for the Lions to use their running backs early and often in 2015.