Bowles: Ameer Abdullah isn't Barry Sanders, 'but he's got that kind of quickness'

It’s only preseason, but Coach Todd Bowles of the Jets raised the name of the running back that a lot of Lions fans have to be thinking about, while crossing their fingers: “He’s about as quick as Barry Sanders,” Bowles told The Associated Press, referring to Ameer Abdullah. “I’m not saying he is Barry Sanders, but he’s got that kind of quickness.”

The buzz had been strong with Abdullah and his ADP is climbing. After a strong first preseason outing, don’t be surprised if he starts to go in the 3rd round. We believe he’s worth a 4th round pick in PPR, though Joique Bell isn’t doing himself any favors by being slow to recover from knee and Achilles injuries. Most scouts seem to agree that Abdullah doesn’t project to be an every-down back, so Bell’s between-the-tackles role should be safe, at least for for a while. If things break his way and he sees significant time on passing downs, Abdullah should ultimately post top 20 numbers in PPR formats.