Buy or Sell: Joique Bell

Experts saw great things coming from the Calvin Johnson/Reggie Bush tandem in 2013. And they weren’t completely wrong. But by season’s end it was Joique Bell, not Bush, who was the more oft-used back.

Yet despite that, Bush is going off the board as the 15^th running back in fantasy drafts at ESPN while Bell is languishing as the RB 26. The workload breakdown this year has yet to be determined. Will Bell continue earning carries away from the more heralded teammate? Or will Bell fade back into a secondary role as the Lions move forward with a new offensive coordinator?

Joique Bell
ADP: 73.3
RB: 26

Buy: Maggio

Step forward if you led the Lions backfield in receiving yards and rushing touchdowns in 2013. Not so fast, Reggie Bush. It was, in fact, Joique Bell who accomplished both feats, finishing just a reception shy of the pass-catching whiz in Scott Linehan’s offense.

And with a new regime in the Motor City, you can be sure the better between-the-tackles runner is going to get a more equal share of the carries in 2014—if not more than Bush altogether. I’ve hedged my bets a bit this year on the duo with Bush still ranked higher, but only by four spots. Meanwhile, Bush is going 15th among running backs while Bell is languishing between Shane Vereen and Bishop Sankey at 28.

The Lions offense is still one of the most talented in the league, so even if Bush retains a slight workload majority, I expect both to land in RB2 territory in 12-team leagues. In other words, you’re paying for what you’re getting with Bush, but getting a nice value on Bell. After all, Bell finished in the top 20 at the position last year, so doesn’t even need a bump in action to produce a profit on his current draft position. Take advantage.

Sell: Andy

Ickey Woods. Olandis Gary. Steve Slaton. We’ve all seen them. Every once in awhile, through injury or just a great situation, someone pops up out of nowhere and has a great season, only to fade back into obscurity again the following year.

I’m not saying Bell is certain to join those guys in the one-hit-wonder club, but I am urging caution. Bell fell into a great situation last year partnering at RB with Reggie Bush on a team lacking a second wideout with an offensive coordinator who loved to throw to his backs. Hence, the two combined for 149 targets and Bell was able to produce 1,197 yards from scrimmage.

I do expect Bell to continue to receive a fair amount of the RB duties in 2014. But the Lions have a new coordinator, former Saints QB coach Joe Lombardi, and two new, shiny toys in the pass game – WR Golden Tate imported from Seattle and TE Eric Ebron, the team’s first round pick.

So that tells me there are a lot of mouths to feed and it does make me shy away from Bell as the 26th RB. I think he’ll be better value than Reggie Bush, but I don’t see him being a guy I would take at that spot.

Joique Bell is ...