Hey guys, Now with Ray Rice pretty much done in the league, who should I grab off the wire? Mark Ingram or Darren Sproles? 12 team PPR league. I can grab either one of them now. Who is the better option? I can also go after Pierre Thomas, but he has to clear waivers and I have a low priority, so that's a long shot.
Can you list your team in your signature to please? Right now, I say Ingram only because he is going to get the ball on a majority of early downs. I doubt Sproles has that many carries again once Polk comes back. It's still close because of the PPR factor, but I still go Ingram.
The last 1000 yard back in the Saints backfield was Deuce McAlister in 2006. I haven't done the research myself, but I read the lead back (other than 2006) in Payton's offenses only averages 10 carries per game. That's hard to make a large impact on the ground with so few carries, which is why I've never liked any RB in the Saints backfield for fantasy purposes unless it is the back they throw to. Pierre Thomas is the only one with value in my eyes. That being said, I'm not sure how Sproles will be used the whole season, it's still to be determined I suppose. But 11 carries and 6 targets, I like the way that looks for a RB2-3 type of guy in PPR. The touchdowns in week 1 were the big bonus for Ingram. But TD's are hard to rely on, especially since the big names of Colston and Graham didn't have any week 1. That means they will be getting some soon.
Atlanta was soooooooo bad defensively as well...I wouldn't use that game as any indication of what Ingram is capable of, unless you're only planning him on starting him against teams with JV-caliber D's.
If I had to choose, since Week 1 is agreed upon as a bad indicator for both Sproles and Ingram, I'd lean towards Sproles simply because of his catching ability. I can't see him rushing 11-15 times a game, but he could be good for 3-5 catches a week for 30, 40, maybe even 50 yards depending on the matchup.