Fantasy Reaction: Reggie Bush Signs With Detroit

The Lions roared into free agency today by locking up arguably the best available cornerback in Chris Houston. They followed that up by signing Reggie Bush to a four-year contract.

At the age of 28, Bush is still a multi-dimensional threat to score every time he touches the ball. Although the salary cap was tight in Detroit, room was made for a much-needed upgrade at the running back position. Based on reports, the offer was made to Bush to be an every-down back. With the loss of Jahvid Best to career-ending concussions, Bush offers the speed and pass-catching abilities that the Lions lost when Best went to injured reserve. Detroit finished in the bottom half of the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards per game, yards per attempt, and total rushing yards in 2012. They add Bush into an offense that already has a big-time playmaker in Calvin Johnson and a young franchise quarterback in Matt Stafford.

Bush will most likely play the role of primary back alongside Mikel Leshoure. Bush makes for a prolific speedster at running back and the added dimension of a return specialist could provide a much-needed boost to the Lions special teams unit. Bush’s ability to run between the tackles with the added ability to line up as a wide receiver adds many dimensions to a team that seemed one-dimensional at times during the 2012 campaign.

The Lions offense went through some serious adversity in 2012. First, Nate Burleson went down to a broken leg. Then Titus Young was sent home after Week 11 for conduct detrimental to the team and eventually placed on season-ending I.R. before eventually being released. Ryan Broyles saw a promising rookie season end with an ACL tear in Week 14, which forced the Lions to roll with the likes of Mike Thomas and Kris Durham to work with Calvin Johnson. That led to an eight-game losing streak to finish the season. Some positive news came from the running back position. Mikel Leshoure was the staple at running back along with Joique Bell as the change-of-pace back. Bell's emergence was a nice surprise in 2012. He rushed for 400 yards and added 52 receptions for nearly 500 yards.

Adding Bush gives the Lions depth at running back along with an added dimension to use Bush and Leshoure at the same time. Bush brings a game-breaking factor to the special teams and the offense. He becomes a check-down option for Stafford since he's a quick, pass-catching specialist, but he also possesses the ability to run inside or outside. Bush has many of the same qualities as Jahvid Best. Best finished 2010 as the 23rd-ranked running back with more than 500 yards rushing and 58 catches for more than 500 yards receiving.

Bush Career Stats

­Fantasy Impact

Bush is a solid No. 2 running back when healthy. If he gets the primary role as running back for the Lions, his value increases dramatically. The Leshoure and Bell tandem finished with 86 total receptions. If Bush gets 75 percent of that production, look for 65 catches for more than 500 yards receiving and add in the potential for 600-700 rushing yards. With that being the case, Bush will get a lot of attention in the early rounds of fantasy drafts. Leshoure did look sluggish at times last season, but look for him to take goal line duties and offer a change of pace. If Bush can stay healthy, the Detroit offense will look even more explosive in 2013.