Week 4 at Miami Dolphins (game in London)
Mark Ingram rushed 14 times for 56 yards in the Saints' Week 3 win over the Panthers. He also caught 2 passes for 30 yards. While Adrian Peterson had 9 carries and Alvin Kamara finished with 5 touches, Ingram was the Saints' best back last Sunday. Given how Ingram has out-played Peterson, one would think he'll stop conceding carries to his backfield mate.
Ingram has a good matchup on Sunday when the Saints take on the Dolphins in London. Miami ranks as fantasy's No. 18 defense against running backs, and Ingram ranks as our RB18 for the week. View him as an RB2 in a good matchup.
Week 3 at Carolina Panthers
Mark Ingram rushed 8 times for 52 yards and caught 4-of-5 targets for 24 yards in the Saints’ Week 2 loss to the Patriots. Given how poor New England’s run defense looked against Kareem Hunt and Kansas City in Week 1, it was a disappointing performance for Ingram. At least Ingram remains a factor in the passing game. He’s a viable PPR play, even if his touches are limited by Sean Payton’s desire to rotate his running backs.
The Saints travel to Charlotte on Sunday to take on a Panthers team that has the No. 1 fantasy defense against running backs. Ranked as our RB28 for Week 3, view Ingram as a risky flex option for Sunday. If you can, we would recommend avoiding him against Carolina’s stout defense.
Week 2 vs. New England Patriots
Mark Ingram rushed six times for 17 yards and caught all five of his targets for 54 yards versus the Vikings on Monday night. Ingram caught four passes for 36 yards on the Saints’ final drive, which, at least in part, saved fantasy owners’ night. Entering Week 1, we didn’t know how Sean Payton would divvy up the workload between Ingram, Adrian Peterson and Alvin Kamara. The final tally looked like this: Kamara 31 snaps, Ingram 26 snaps, Peterson nine snaps. One thing to keep in mind is that the Saints trailed for much of the night, which increased Kamara’s touches perhaps more than if New Orleans were out in front.
As for Week 2, Ingram is our RB19 against the Patriots, who own fantasy’s No. 6 defense against running backs. New England could be without linebacker Dont’a Hightower, which would be a boost for Ingram and the Saints’ running game. The Patriots had a difficult time setting the edge without Hightower, which allowed the Chiefs to gash New England on the ground last Thursday night. Consider Ingram a low-end RB2.
Week 1 at Minnesota Vikings
Mark Ingram is coming off his best fantasy performance of his career, finishing as the RB10 in 2016. The veteran back rushed for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns while adding 46 receptions for 319 additional yards and four scores. It’ll be interesting to see how the Saints handle their backfield for 2017, however.
Ingram remains the team’s No. 1 back, but New Orleans signed free agent Adrian Peterson and drafted Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara. For the time being, consider Ingram as an every-week RB2, including on Monday night when the Saints visit the Vikings. Minnesota ranks as fantasy’s No. 13 defense against running backs but there should be enough volume there to start Ingram. He ranks as our No. 20 RB for Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
Mark Ingram finished as fantasy's RB10 after rushing for 1,043 yards and racking up 46 catches for 319 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. Despite the addition of Adrian Peterson and Alvin Kamara, Ingram remains the Saints' No. 1 back. Sean Payton has done a nice job preserving his power back by limiting Ingram's carries, even at the frustration of fantasy owners. Peterson will cut into Ingram's carries, but the latter is the better pass-catcher.
Fantasy Downside
Ingram has yet to top 226 carries in a single season. He didn't even reach 20 carries in a single game until a meaningless Week 17 contest in Atlanta. Now he'll fight for carries with Peterson, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a former league MVP. Ingram also comes with durability issues, as he battled knee, toe, and concussion problems in 2016. In 2015, he tore his rotator cuff and also broke his hand.
2017 Bottom Line
Ingram's ADP is 5.07 in 10-team leagues and 4.11 in 12-teamers. That's good value for a back who could wind up being a low-end RB1. Ingram has a low ceiling but a high floor. At worst, Peterson will cut into his carries and Kamara will see action on third downs. But Ingram is an established power back with plus receiving skills. He remains the Saints' No. 1 back and deserves consideration in the fifth round.
Week 17 at Atlanta
Mark Ingram rushed 18 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints' Week 16 win over the Bucs. After watching Tim Hightower vulture touchdowns from him a week prior, Ingram took matters into his own hands by scoring from six and 14 yards out. Now just 60 yards shy of 1,000 for the season, Ingram should run with purpose on Sunday when the Saints visit the Falcons, who rank as fantasy's No. 26 defense against running backs. Ranked as our RB15 for Week 17, fire up Ingram as a RB2 and a solid DFS play for Sunday.
Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay
Mark Ingram rushed 17 times for 78 yards while catching 2-of-4 targets for 14 yards in the Saints' Week 15 win over the Cardinals. Ingram was visibly upset on the sidelines after Tim Hightower scored his second touchdown of the day. Hightower was handed two goal-line opportunities over Ingram and one other goal-line score came when Drew Brees connected with rookie Michael Thomas. Despite his frustrations, it was a nice bounce-back performance for Ingram, who rushed for just 14 yards on seven carries the week prior against Tampa Bay. He ranks as our RB21 for Week 16 when the Saints host the Bucs this time around. View Ingram as a low-end RB2.
Week 15 at Arizona
Mark Ingram gained just 14 yards on seven carries in the Saints' Week 14 loss to the Bucs. He also added a nine-yard reception. Tim Hightower out-gained Ingram 31-23 despite receiving one less touch. With Ingram battling toe and knee injuries (he sat out of practice on Wednesday), plus facing an Arizona defense that ranks third against fantasy running backs this season, Ingram is noting more than a RB3/FLEX option for Sunday. He ranks as our RB26 for Week 15.
Week 14 at Tampa Bay
Mark Ingram rushed seven times for 37 yards while also adding five catches for 16 additional yards in the Saints' Week 13 loss to the Lions. Ingram also missed some time during the game after re-aggravating his toe injury but his low production was more a product of how much Detroit's defense dominated New Orleans' offense. Ingram did not practice on Thursday after getting in a limited session on Wednesday. Provided he practices on Friday and is active, he'll be a low-end RB2 option when the Saints visit the Bucs on Sunday. If he plays, Ingram will likely do so at less than 100-percent.
Week 13 vs. Detroit
Mark Ingram totaled 167 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints’ Week 12 win over the Rams. He rushed 14 times for 146 yards and one score while adding one-of-two targets for 21 yards and another touchdown while playing 57% of the team’s snaps. Ingram finished with two fewer touches than Tim Hightower but out-snapped his backfield counterpart 42-to-25. The good news for Ingram owners is that his snap percentage has been on the rise over the last several weeks. The bad news is that he’s currently dealing with a toe injury that sidelined him for Wednesday and Thursday. If he doesn’t practice on Friday, there’s a good chance the Saints will roll with Hightower as their lead back on Sunday versus Detroit. If he plays, view Ingram as a solid RB2 against a Lions defense that ranks as our RB15 for Week 13.
