Week 7 – Andre Ellington vs. Oakland
Andre Ellington had a nice game against Washington. He didn’t put up big numbers, but he touched the ball 25 times, including six receptions, and ended up with 93 total yards from scrimmage. Ellington’s versatility makes him a great fantasy option, and with his usage rate so high this year, he’s a good start week-to-week.
Against Oakland’s next to last ranked run defense, Ellington should be in for a great day. If he gets the ball anywhere close to the amount of times he’s been touching it, he should be able to put up RB1 numbers in most leagues. We have him as a top ten start this week and he should be in your lineup.
Week 6 – Andre Ellington vs. Washington
Andre Ellington finally showed the game breaking ability this season that he showed a year ago against the Broncos last week. He had only 32 yards on the ground, but he added 102 yards receiving, including an amazing 81 yard catch and run for a touchdown to help Arizona get back into the game. Ellington also had 16 carries and a rushing touchdown, turning in an excellent overall fantasy performance and proving that he remains a key cog in the Cardinal offense.
Ellington will face a Washington defense this week that has actually been decent against the run this year, but with his high usage rate, and a return to his playmaking ability, Ellington is still a solid start this week and should be active in all leagues.
Week 5 – Andre Ellington vs. Denver
Andre Ellington has been a functional fantasy player, totaling 75 yards before the bye against San Francisco, but hasn’t put up the eye-popping numbers that fantasy owners were expecting after a promising rookie year. That being said, he had 18 carries and was targeted four times in the passing game against the 49ers, making him clearly the main cog in the Cardinals rushing attack.
This week, he faces a Broncos team that has been pretty good against the run this year and is one of the harder matchups of the week. Still, the Cardinals will try to grind out the clock against them and should continue to feed Ellington the ball. After a week off to get healthy, Ellington looks like a solid RB2 option in all leagues. His contributions in the passing game could help against a Broncos team known for building leads.
Week 3 – Andre Ellington vs. San Francisco
Andre Ellington got a full workload against the Giants last week, putting up 91 yards on the ground on 15 carries, and adding a reception for 10 yards. This is two weeks in a row where Ellington has been healthy enough to play and has been relied upon as a large part of the offense. While Jonathan Dwyer got the goal line carry, Ellington remains an explosive back, and the one to own for the Cardinals.
Against the 49ers this week, Ellington will wonder which defense he sees. Will it be the 49ers that stuffed Tony Romo and got run over by DeMarco Murray in Week 1, or will it be the defense that stuffed Matt Forte and let Jay Cutler beat them in the second half in Week 2? Time will tell, but Ellington has the kind of skill set that makes him valuable either way, catching passed out of the backfield and having big play ability. Fantasy owners should consider him a low end RB2 this week with a bit of a tough matchup, but still a starter.
Week 2 – Andre Ellington vs. New York Giants
Andre Ellington scared fantasy owners with conflicting reports on his health status leading up to Monday night’s game against the Chargers last week, but he wound up starting anyway and looked fine. He finished with only 53 yards on 13 carries, and only 27 receiving yards. However, he caught five passes, confirming hopes that he’d hold extra value in PPR formats this year.
This week, Ellington faces a Giants team that looked in disarray against the Lions on Monday night, and he should once again be the main option in the running game and also catch some passes out of the backfield. Ellington will be spelled frequently by Stepfan Taylor and Jonathan Dwyer, but he should get the ball plenty enough, similar to his 18 touches last week, and he has the game breaking ability to make the most of the opportunities he gets. We have him as a solid RB2 this week in all formats.
Week 1 – Andre Ellington vs. San Diego
Andre Ellington had a nice rookie year, splitting carries with the since retired Rashard Mendenhall in 2013 and winding up with over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards and four touchdowns. He also averaged an outstanding 5.5 yards per carry.
Ellington will use his versatility against the Chargers this week, a San Diego team that was subpar defensively a year ago, finishing 12th against the run, but 28th against the pass. Ellington’s usage should go up, and he’s an excellent RB2 or borderline RB1 option in Week 1. He’s extra valuable in a PPR, as he caught 39 balls last season and looks to be a big part of the passing game moving forward.
Update:
Ellington has been hobbled in practice, so fantasy owners should make sure they keep up on his status come game day. Be prepared for a last minute lineup change as necessary.
Fantasy Upside
Don't look now, but Ellington is poised to become the go-to option in the Cardinals' backfield. HC Bruce Arians told reporters at the end of May that Ellington will get 25-30 touches per game this year. We'll quickly suggest that fantasy football owners should take that for what it's worth (not much). That would work out to anywhere from 400 to 480 carries and catches for the season, a staggering amount of activity for a running back in any era. Larry Johnson set the record for single-season rushing attempts in 2006, with 416. He added 41 catches that year, for 456 touches.
Fantasy Downside
The only real concern is whether Ellington is up to the increased workload. He's reportedly added 10 pounds of muscle over the offseason (without, of course, losing any speed that we'll be told of). But he's far from a proven commodity. As a rookie, during a season in which he made Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Williams irrelevant, Ellington had 156 touches. Safe to say that didn't test his durability the way it will be tested this season.
Bottom Line
It's equally safe to say that 156-touch total will go up considerably, even if not to the levels Arian projects. Meanwhile, with Mendenhall and Williams no longer on the roster, Stepfan Taylor and Jonathan Dwyer will be standing by to fill in as -- or if you believe Arians, if -- needed. Neither seems to be a threat to push for a significant workload at this point and Ellington's ranking reflects that.
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