Rankings

NO RB Depth Chart

1. Pierre Thomas
2. Reggie Bush
3. DeShawn Wynn
4. Chris Ivory
5. Heath Evans

2010 Strength of Schedule - NO

Schedule difficulty based on opponent's defensive ranking. Top defense = 1, bottom defense = 32.

2009 Game Stats

Most Recent News

Saints RB Chris Ivory making a push
August 28, 2010, 10:06am

SI.com - [Full Article]

Chris Ivory's college career was a bust.

The Saints gave him a chance anyway, and it is beginning to look like New Orleans may have plucked another exciting running back from the ranks of the undrafted.

Ivory turned a swing pass into a tackle-breaking, zigzagging, 76-yard score, and finished as both the game-high rusher and receiver in New Orleans' 36-21 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers on Friday night.

"I know I've got to come out and work hard, open some eyes and just prove that I want to be here," Ivory said. "I'm trying to go hard every play so I can keep (coaches') minds open and make this team."

The rookie rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries, with a long run of 16 yards. He turned his only catch into the longest reception in the game by bowling over defenders, making others miss and carrying one on his back across the goal line.

Essentially, he played like Pierre Thomas , who joined the Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2007.
Ivory, who is a broad-shouldered 6 feet and 222 pounds, never rushed for more than 313 yards at Washington State, where he spent three years before being dismissed for violations such as being late to meetings and missing a practice. He finished his college career last year with an injury-plagued season at Division II Tiffin and wound up with a grand total of 757 yards rushing in four college seasons.

With his performance against San Diego coming after solid outings in the Saints' first two preseason games - he had a TD run at New England and rushed for 66 yards against Houston - he appears likely to make the regular season roster, particularly after season-ending injuries to running backs Lynell Hamilton and P.J. Hill.

"He made a heck of a play on the catch for the touchdown," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "He just consistently has been able to get positive yards, but there's some things we've got to get corrected. That's somewhat to be expected. Certainly coming where he's coming from is a big step up."

Scouting Report

Posted by Scout Jeff Owens
August 5, 2010, 4:30 pm

Fantasy Upside
Hamilton's upside is that his predecessor earned his way to Philly with a nice role as the Saints' No. 3 back. Mike Bell saved a few fantasy owners last year with huge games and finished with over 650 yards and five touchdowns. Hamilton looks to fill the same role.

Fantasy Downside
There are a lot of playmakers on this team who look to get anywhere from 5-10 touchdowns (Thomas, Bush, Colston, Meachem, Henderson) this season. They will need their touches so you have to wonder where Hamilton will get his.

Fantasy Bottom Line
Hamilton is ranked No. 40 on the 4for4.com Draft Board for RBs. This is pretty high for a guy with two backs securely in front of him. He definitely has the size to be a solid GL contributor and will vulture his share of Bush/Thomas TDs. Still, I would warn you against picking him up until the status of Bush/Thomas is affected by injury and Hamilton sees a rise in carries.

2009 Pre-Game Scouting

Posted by Scout Jeff Owens
January 1, 2010, 2:18 am

Week 17
Hamilton @ Carolina

Hamilton, despite a sore shoulder, stands to get the lionshare of carries for the Saints this week while the rest of the offense takes much of the day off. Hamilton, not Mike Bell, received the largest share of carries after Pierre Thomas injured his ribs in last week's game to Tampa Bay. I don't expect him to run all over the place but 10-15 touches should be an automatic. At best, he's a low-end No. 3 back.