Fantasy Fallout: Dwayne Washington a must-get with Abdullah on IR

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Here are the fantasy repercussions of a foot sprain forcing Detroit Lions RB Ameer Abdullah to the Injured Reserve:

Abdullah, who had 18 rushing attempts for 101 yards through two games, will miss a minimum of eight weeks while on the IR. He was averaging 5.6 yards per carry - up nearly a yard and a half from his rookie season - but he was seeing little work in the pass-heavy Lions offense. He had caught all five of his targets, going for 57 yards and a score.

Following his departure from Sunday's game, RB Theo Riddick finished with 11 attempts for 37 yards with an additional four receptions for 28 yards. Rookie RB Dwayne Washington had four attempts for 31 yards, including a long rush of 28. The two are likely to handle what had already been a running back committee.

Riddick should cover pass-catching duties, with little more than 10 rushing attempts per game; his 11 attempts in Week 2 were a career high. He had seen more than seven just once during his first three years in the league.

Washington was a seventh-round pick in this year's draft. At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, he has a build capable of handling short-yardage and goal-line duties.

RB Zach Zenner was inactive for Weeks 1 and 2, after losing his role to Washington in preseason. The injury to Abdullah will likely keep him on the roster for a few more weeks, but he will need to re-prove himself in the offense before warranting a waiver claim.

Waivers

With Riddick owned in the vast majority of leagues, Washington becomes the waiver-wire target from within the Lions backfield. Abdullah was being used as little more than a FLEX option, if not solely as depth. Washington holds upside if he can retain the goal-line work. He should be left on the bench for Week 3 and possibly Week 4, while owners see how the Lions use him.

Trade Route

The Lions rank eighth in the NFL with a pass-play percentage of 64.12. They led the league in 2015 with a rate of 65.63 percent. QB Matthew Stafford and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter are no strangers to a pass-heavy attack.

Riddick is the top trade candidate if unavailable on waivers. Should he be difficult to attain, now is the time to try to buy low on WR Golden Tate.

Tate has ceded the WR1 role to Marvin Jones Jr., who has more targets, receptions and yards than Tate through two weeks. The loss of Abdullah and the expected added work for the passing game, should lead to more targets for Tate, with receptions, yards and touchdowns likely to follow suit.

Tate has played just one fewer receiving snap than Jones Jr. The biggest difference between the two has been Tate's significantly shorter average depth of target. With the lack of a run game, Stafford is likely to look more often to his closest receivers. With more work incoming, owners should be trying to trade for the Lions receiver who had the higher ADP.