Theo Riddick

While there were flickers of encouragement, for the most part Riddick's 2018 was highly disappointing. He had more than 70 targets for the second consecutive season and the third time in his career, but his 5.2 yards per target was his lowest since he barely saw the field as a rookie. Riddick also failed to score for the first time, as Matthew Stafford stopped looking his way near the goal line. On the bright side, Riddick had a career-high 4.3 YPC, but given that it was only on 40 attempts, it's hard to put much stock in the improvement. The Lions seem to agree, considering they released Riddick in late July. He quickly latched on with Denver, only to immediately suffer a shoulder injury that will require 6-to-8 weeks of recovery. The timeline seemingly rules Riddick out for at least the first two weeks of the regular season.

Riddick once again handled more work on the ground than the Lions would have liked in 2017, parlaying the role into a career-high three rushing touchdowns while playing 16 games for the second time. While never much of a rushing threat, the 27-year-old caught 186 balls the last three seasons, displaying impressive elusiveness and quickness in space. His chemistry with Matthew Stafford is undeniable, and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter's quick-strike offense is a clear fit for Riddick's skill set. The front office nonetheless brought in competition, signing bruiser LeGarrette Blount and trading up in the second round to select Kerryon Johnson. Riddick may be able to increase his per-touch productivity as he focuses on what he does best, but the competition for snaps puts his volume in further question, coming off a three-year low of 4.4 targets per game in 2017.

Used almost purely as a receiving option the year before, Riddick was forced into a larger role in 2016, with mixed results, after Ameer Abdullah was injured. Riddick did have a couple of big performances, notably piling up 133 combined yards against the Texans in Week 8, but the increased workload took its toll as ankle and wrist issues limited Riddick to just 10 games. Heading into his fifth NFL season, the 5-9, 201-pound scatback has proven he can pick up real estate when he gets the ball in the open field, and despite missing nearly half the year he still finished in the top 10 among RBs in catches and targets thanks to Jim Bob Cooter's uptempo West Coast-flavored offense. Riddick underwent surgery on both wrists late last season in an effort to prevent a repeat of those issues, and while he sat out most of OTAs, the Lions expect him to be ready for training camp. Don't expect a repeat of his numbers on the ground, but if he can stay healthy he has the skills to match or even exceed his 2015 production (80 catches for 697 yards) through the air.

He's a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty good trick. Riddick became the seventh running back since the merger to go over 600 yards receiving without making it to 150 yards rushing. He led all running backs in receptions, and most of them came late — 36 grabs in the fourth period. If you're in a standard league, you have permission to drop Riddick in the ranks. The Lions are overflowing with running backs, and Riddick doesn't have the size to play in all packages. But after unleashing Riddick's dynamic pass-catching ability, Detroit would be foolish to turn away from a talented player. Riddick can probably keep 80-90 percent of last year's receiving haul, and that makes him a handy player in PPR formats.

Although he's rarely involved in the running game, Riddick proved his value as a receiver last year, splitting targets almost equally with Joique Bell and Reggie Bush. He was a weapon out of the slot, leading all running backs with 2.45 receiving yards per route. Riddick's smaller size and lack of elite speed may typecast him as a change-of-pace back, but he does run with surprising power and burst, and has enough elusiveness to make tacklers miss in the open field. Bush's departure seemed like a boon for Riddick's 2015 prospects, but the Lions perhaps slammed that door closed when they drafted Ameer Abdullah, a back with better running ability and pass-catching skills than Riddick, to take Bush's place. Riddick should still see plenty of targets in Detroit's pass-happy offense, but he might need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to get increased work.

Riddick saw nine carries in his rookie year and scored his first career touchdown in Week 16 versus the New York Giants. This season will be much of the same for Riddick who will see minimal carries behind Reggie Bush and Joique Bell in the Lions' dynamic offensive attack.

Riddick will be a reserve running back for the Lions in 2013.