Pierre Thomas should see some of Sproles's snaps

Saints beat writer Mike Triplett on who will fill the role of the departed Darren Sproles...

"... Pierre Thomas will get a lot of snaps in the packages where we used to see Sproles because he's such a good receiver out of the backfield and such a reliable pass protector.

"However, I do think the Saints will make an effort to work Travaris Cadet into the mix in that role at times. They talked about trying to do that last year. And we saw a ton of Cadet on the field the other day during OTAs. I'm just not sure how many opportunities he'll get in such a crowded backfield with Thomas, Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson."

Thomas racked up 224 touches for 1,062 yards and five TDs as the lead back in the 2013 version of the Saints’ committee at running back. With Darren Sproles gone, Thomas’s catches aren’t likely to take much of a hit (though Travaris Cadet should see some of Sproles’s work). The team has shown signs of moving to Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson more in the running game, so PT is not likely to push 150 carries again in 2014. Still, he’ll be a regular part of the rotation in a potent offense and should be a good value in the later rounds. In PPR formats, he has finished in the top 30 in PPG in five of the last six seasons.