The Lions needed to come out of this year’s draft with a running back.  They HAD to.  The team had dropped Kevin Jones and was now left with Tatum Bell, Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason.  Yeeesh! 

 This being the Lions, they had plenty of needs so they spent their first two picks on a gigantic offensive lineman and an outside linebacker.  No problems there, at least it wasn't  two wide receivers.  Then they used the first pick of the third round on Kevin Smith (64^th overall), a 6’1", 217 lb running back from Central Florida, not to be confused with Kevin Smith, the considerably less-fit movie director. 

 While there are no such things as sleepers in fantasy football anymore, Kevin Smith might be pretty sleepy.  Smith will compete with Bell for the starting job right away and – considering it’s Tatum Bell – should win the job outright as the season starts.  Smith isn’t a traditional power back, but he can run hard between the tackles.  He’s also a workhorse – he set the NCAA single season record with 450 carries his senior year.

Let me repeat that.  This guy carried the ball FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY TIMES last season.  The previous record was 405 times, set by a pretty good running back named Marcus Allen.  While the competition Smith faces in the NFL will be harder than what he faced at Central Florida, at least you know this guy has a serious motor. 

Bell will grab some carries, but I expect to see Smith as the every down back in Detroit this year.  The Lions are still a pass-first team, but Smith should produce enough to be worth starting on your fantasy team.  Period. That’s it. Nothing fancy, just that.

Smith.  Starter. Fantasy.

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