One of the worst things that can happen during the preseason is to have one of your favorite fantasy sleepers explode with a highlight-reel play, because then everyone will know about him.
If you did your fantasy homework over the summer, you likely heard the rave reviews about Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah -- such as Calvin Johnson calling him "eye-popping," or coach Jim Caldwell saying Abdullah is a better pass-catcher than he thought, or reports that he was holding his own in what is often an Achilles' heel for rookie running backs, pass protection. And with incumbent starter Joique Bell slowly working his way back from surgery on his actual Achilles and knee, and with pass-catching back Reggie Bush departing via free agency, you probably had pegged Abdullah as a fine fantasy sleeper in your upcoming drafts.
Then you turned on your TV Thursday to watch the Lions battle the New York Jets in preseason action and the cat -- or is that Lion? -- leaped out of the bag.
Midway through the first quarter, with the ball on the Lions' 18-yard line, Abdullah took a step left, then headed right on a handoff before making a ridiculously quick and sharp cut at the right hashmark to head straight up the field, leaving linebacker Demario Davis twisting in the wind. Then he was gone. Splitting the seam like a Ferrari being chased by a group of Pintos, Abdullah scampered 45 yards before cornerback Darrelle Revis finally reeled him in.
It was the highlight of the first week of the preseason, and his leap moment bumped him directly from sleeper lists to breakout lists. In fact, his ESPN average draft position jumped 18 spots, from 96 to 78, and it's a safe bet he will continue to move up draft rankings in the coming days and weeks. Particularly if people keep heaping praise on him, like when Jets coach Todd Bowles said, "He looked about as quick as Barry Sanders." Bowles noted that he was "not saying he's Barry," but no fantasy owner is going to be sleeping on any running back who is mentioned in the same sentence with arguably the greatest running back ever.
While we need to keep perspective here -- it was just one run -- there is enticing potential for Abdullah. The electric speed and agility displayed in that play are legit, as are his field vision and competitiveness. The concerns come from a propensity for fumbling during his days at Nebraska and his height (5-foot-9, 205 pounds), but both can be overcome. Plenty of running backs have quashed fumbling issues, and guys with similar body sizes, like Frank Gore (5-foot-9, 217 pounds) and Maurice Jones-Drew (5-foot-7, 210 pounds), have proved to be longtime fantasy football studs.
He is exactly the type of wild card you want to target as an RB3 in the early middle rounds of fantasy drafts, because if he manages to push past Bell to secure a genuine lead role in the Lions' backfield, he could be a difference-maker for fantasy teams this season.