The Detroit Lions expect Reggie Bush back healthy from injury in Week 12 and that makes him a fantasy football start option for owners on Sunday against the Patriots and that pushes Theo Riddick down behind Joique Bell for fantasy owners, as Bush and Bell likely will get the majority of the carries when the Lions take on New England on Sunday.
Bush has been injured for most of the season and while he has played in seven games, he has just 79 touches this season and has rushed for less than 200 yards. The Lions are in playoff position and they need Bush to be back to his usual explosiveness and Bush said that his ankle is nearly back to 100 percent. Both Bush and Calvin Johnson have been injured at times this season and as the back stretch of the schedule gets here, the Lions need the two players to step up.
Bush is more of a flex option than a hard RB1 or RB2 this season, but he could be a solid RB starter for teams in need of a back this week. The Steelers are on a bye and he could be a good replacement for Le'Veon Bell owners, as he is very effective out of the backfield like Bell is. Bush comes in after rushing for 1006 yards last season and he was very impressive while making 54 catches for another 506 yards in 2013. Bush has not had more than 61 yards rushing in any game this season and he has not had more than 20 touches in a game at any point either.
The Lions offense needs Bush to get things going again and they could also rely on Bell in the passing game, as he has 20 catches for 204 yards this year. Bell has rushed for 422 yards and he has been solid in place of Bush and there is a chance he could beat his career high of 650 yards last season. Bell has over 100 total yards last week and he was tops with 85 rushing yards while also making three catches for 30 yards. Bell has had at least two catches in every game since Week 3 and he has had double digit carries in five straight games and eight of nine games this season.
Riddick played well with Bush on the sidelines, but he is nothing more than an RB3 when Bush is back and that ashes him down the depth chart for fantasy owners. This season Riddick has 17 rushes for 35 yards along with 18 catches for 178 yards and he also caught the winning touchdown against the Dolphins. Riddick is a solid flex option in deep leagues, but he had just three catches last week for 24 yards and two rushes for two yards, making him a marginal start at best.
Bell and Bush have been a very good tandem when they are both healthy and the Lions need that on Sunday. The defense for the Lions will be strong and the offense has to come through, as the Patriots are playing very well and they rarely lose to non-conference opponents at home. The Lions suddenly will be in some trouble if they lose again, as they fell to the Cardinals last week and that could make the playoff race in the NFC even tougher for the team.
