Ameer Abdullah rising on fantasy draft boards

All in all, 2014 will go down as a successful season for the Detroit Lions. Under the new regime led by head coach Jim Caldwell, the Lions won 11 games, their most in 23 years. Detroit also returned to the NFC playoffs for only the second time in 15 seasons.

The way Caldwell’s Lions qualified for the postseason was a big departure from the previous regime’s offense-first philosophy. The 2014 edition finished only 22nd in the NFL in offense, but allowed a mere 282 points – the fewest the club has surrendered in a 16-game season since 1980.

For the team to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 20 years, they’ll need to get improved play – and improve protection – for QB Matthew Stafford and recreate the three-headed monster backfield with a rookie runner and the league’s second-youngest offensive line.

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync

Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire

WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools

Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks

PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools

NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Subscribe now

Already have a subscription? Log In