Player Outlook
Mark Ingram has always had to share carries, but splitting with future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson could halt Ingram's three-year streak of hitting 1,100 total yards. That will depend on the 32-year-old Peterson, who might still have some good qualities left in his game but also has been worn down over 2,781 career touches. On paper, Peterson should at least cover Tim Hightower's old role in New Orleans, picking up around 10 touches per game with some scoring opportunities. But in reality Peterson could miss time with an injury, giving Ingram a big chance to rack up numbers. All Ingram has done over the past two years is average 90.6 total yards per game with 16 touchdowns. He's even had nine-plus Fantasy points in 64.3 percent of those games. Injuries and fumbles have been issues for Ingram in the past, but if the biggest risk to Ingram's numbers is Peterson then Fantasy owners shouldn't shy away from him. Draft Ingram as a volatile No. 2 Fantasy running back worth a selection between 30th and 40th overall in all formats.
Player News
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Ingram has been active in the passing game during the early stages of training camp, ESPN.com's Mike Triplett reports. The Saints signed Adrian Peterson to compete for early down work and drafted Alvin Kamara to contribute on passing downs, but Ingram's ability to play in all situations means he's still a clear favorite to lead the backfield in snaps and touches. Ingram is coming off a 2016 campaign in which he established career-high marks in rushing yards (1,043), yards per carry (5.1) and total touchdowns (10) while playing all 16 games for the first time since 2012. He also had his second-best marks for targets (57), receptions (46) and receiving yards (319), after establishing career highs in each category in 2015. The Saints could give him a similar workload this season while still finding important roles for Peterson and Kamara.
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With the Saints signing Adrian Peterson (knee) last week and drafting tailback Alvin Kamara in the third round of the NFL Draft, The Times-Picayune's Larry Holder speculates that the team's likely plan is to deploy a three-headed attack at running back similar to the Saints' potent 2009 and 2011 backfields. Both the 2009 and 2011 teams finished sixth in the league in rushing, but head coach Sean Payton's three-man committees were a nightmare for fantasy owners, with no Saints running back scoring more than six touchdowns or rushing for 800 yards. This year, it;s expected that Ingram and Peterson will serve as the more traditional between-the-tackles running backs, while Kamara will compete with Travaris Cadet to be the third-down or satellite back. However, it is still unclear how the touches between the backs will be divided. After rushing for a career-high 1,043 yards and scoring 10 total touchdowns, Ingram is likely to see the most snaps given his familiarity with the Saints' system, but he will undoubtedly lose carries to Peterson and receptions to Kamara or Cadet, hampering his value.
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Ingram would figure to retain his starting running back position even if the Saints sign Adrian Peterson (knee), Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune reports. Ingram rushed for a career-high 1,043 yards while averaging 5.1 yards per carry and scoring 10 total touchdowns last season. That came despite him getting only about four more carries per game than backup Tim Hightower, who has since joined the 49ers in free agency. Coming off another knee injury, it's likely that Peterson would fill the spot vacated by Hightower's absence. After beginning his career with Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles around, Ingram is no stranger to splitting New Orleans' backfield workload, so the potential addition of Peterson shouldn't alarm fantasy owners all that much.
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Ingram rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and added 29 yards on six catches in Sunday's loss to Atlanta. Ingram's one-yard touchdown dive pulled New Orleans to within two scores late in the fourth quarter. It also represented his 10th all-purpose touchdown of the season, setting a new career-high. This season was full of career bests for Ingram, including rushing yards, all-purpose yards and scores. Though the Saints continue to use a full stable of backs more so than many other teams, Ingram held onto a lead role in a greater way than in years past.
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Ingram totaled 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 rushes in Saturday's 31-24 win over the Bucs. He also scored two of three targets for three yards. Ingram played an integral part in keeping the Bucs defense honest Saturday, amassing his best yardage total since compiling 146 against the Rams in Week 12. Saturday also marked Ingram's first multi-touchdown game of 2016, and he's now notched at least one catch in eight straight contests as well. Ingram notably outpaced backfield mate Tim Hightower by 10 carries on the afternoon, and given his success, a similar workload distribution could be on tap for the Week 17 finale versus the Falcons.
Recent Tweets
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6:28 pm ET / @FletcherWDSUFletcher Mackel
Peterson and Ingram with back-to-back nice runs during Redzone work. Both with pretty nifty cut-back moves.
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6:26 pm ET / @LarryHolderLarry Holder
Another nice Peterson run up the middle. Ingram follows up with one of his own.
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6:00 pm ET / @LarryHolder
Larry Holder
Ramczyk split 1 on 1 battles with Ingram. Peat did the same with Damion Square. Bryce Harris slowed down Bosa once
Completed Games
| WK | OPP | RUATT | RUYD | RUTD | RECPT | REYD | RETD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OAK | 12 | 58 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | @NYG | 9 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | ATL | 15 | 77 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 18 |
| 4 | @SD | 18 | 56 | 1 | 6 | 49 | 0 | 15 |
| 5 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | CAR | 16 | 51 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | @KC | 16 | 62 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 14 |
| 8 | SEA | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | @SF | 15 | 158 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 28 |
| 10 | DEN | 11 | 50 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | @CAR | 7 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | LAR | 14 | 146 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 28 |
| 13 | DET | 7 | 37 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | @TB | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | @ARI | 17 | 78 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | TB | 18 | 90 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| 17 | @ATL | 20 | 103 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 18 |
| PROJECTION | 190 | 829 | 5.2 | 52 | 367 | 2.7 | 150.4 | |
| * indicates player did not play that week | ||||||||
Scheduled Games
| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/11 | @Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 15.38 |
| 2 | 09/17 | New England Patriots | 9 | 15.26 |
| 3 | 09/24 | @Carolina Panthers | 4 | 14.50 |
| 4 | 10/01 | @Miami Dolphins | 21 | 18.24 |
| 5 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 6 | 10/15 | Detroit Lions | 13 | 16.18 |
| 7 | 10/22 | @Green Bay Packers | 11 | 15.42 |
| 8 | 10/29 | Chicago Bears | 19 | 18.00 |
| 9 | 11/05 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 22 | 18.75 |
| 10 | 11/12 | @Buffalo Bills | 30 | 21.13 |
| 11 | 11/19 | Washington Redskins | 29 | 20.50 |
| 12 | 11/26 | @Los Angeles Rams | 14 | 16.63 |
| 13 | 12/03 | Carolina Panthers | 4 | 14.50 |
| 14 | 12/08 | @Atlanta Falcons | 24 | 19.37 |
| 15 | 12/17 | New York Jets | 15 | 17.00 |
| 16 | 12/24 | Atlanta Falcons | 24 | 19.37 |
| 17 | 12/31 | @Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 22 | 18.75 |
Team Trends
Career Stats
| Season | RuAtt | RuYd | RuTD | Recpt | ReYd | ReTD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 205 | 1043 | 6 | 46 | 319 | 4 | 199 |
| 2015 | 166 | 769 | 6 | 50 | 405 | 0 | 152 |
| 2014 | 226 | 964 | 9 | 29 | 145 | 0 | 164 |
| 2013 | 78 | 386 | 1 | 7 | 68 | 0 | 50 |
| 2012 | 156 | 602 | 5 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 92 |
| 2011 | 122 | 474 | 5 | 11 | 46 | 0 | 81 |
| 3 Year Avg | 199 | 925 | 7 | 42 | 290 | 1 | 171 |
| Career | 953 | 4238 | 32 | 149 | 1012 | 4 |