By: Jake Rajala

The running back position never becomes less dreamy in fantasy football. Although, there are some RB faces that transcend into less-pleasing profiles as the season goes along. With that said, I’m going to untwine a few RBs that fantasy owners should move on from heading into Week 6.

Mark Ingram

The Saints bowling-ball RB, Mark Ingram, was outmuscled by the Taysom Hill show and Alvin Kamara last week. Ingram (rostered in 28% of Yahoo leagues) had nine carries for 16 yards (as he currently has 38 carries for 144 yards and one TD on the season), while Hill had nine carries for 112 rushing yds and Kamara notched 103 rushing yds on 23 carries. It wasn’t a surprise when the former BYU QB that once squatted 626 pounds won NFC Offensive Player of The Week last week. AK isn’t only back to being healthy, but Hill is clearly going to be regularly involved to help heal their prior offensive woes.

James Cook

James Cook may be Dalvin Cook’s brother, but James (rostered in 34% of ESPN leagues) certainly doesn’t have the same magical ability that Dalvin has at this point. In 2022 — James has ousted 17 carries for 89 yards, four catches for 37 yards, & a touchdown. His best single-game performance arrived last week (four carries for 31 yards). There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for his career, but I don’t foresee him being a threat soon.

Rex Burkhead

The world belongs to Rex Burkhead Dameon Pierce, to say the least. Pierce has somehow managed to oust 412 rushing yards, 4.8 YPC, and a few touchdowns right now. I don’t love the road ahead for Rex Burkhead (rostered in 27% of ESPN leagues). He has only registered 64 rushing yards on 20 carries (along with 18 catches for 112 yards).

The post Fantasy: 3 RBs to drop appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram was delighted to return to The Big Easy in 2021. Ingram was reunited with the team that drafted him and he even made Brandin Cooks jealous that he was back in the Black and Gold.

Ingram had four seasons of 700+ rushing yards, 50+ rushing touchdowns with the Saints prior to joining the Ravens. He’s currently the Saints all-time leading rusher in yards and touchdowns. It’s clear that he was a pillar of consistency and a key part of the Drew Brees-led offense throughout his Saints tenure. Furthermore, the Saints were thankful and full of bliss when they were able to bring him home last season.

Ingram was brought in as the backup to Alvin Kamara last season, but he looked like a fine 1B in many contests. Ingram averaged 3.8 YPC, but I believe that’s an impressive stat given how broken the Saints offensive line was in 2021. Alvin Kamara yielded a career-low 3.7 YPC last season.

According to NFL.com, Ingram averaged 5.2 YPC from September, October, and November combined. Ingram was clearly explosive and hitting the hole well when the offensive line was playing modest at worst. The last two times Ingram averaged 4.9+ YPC in a 16 game season, he made the Pro Bowl. Ingram also averaged 19.7 receiving yards per game with the Saints last season, which was his highest receiving YPG since 2017.

To be fair, a player is judged for how they perform in 16 games and not 12 games. Although, it needs to point out how porous and crippled the Saints offense was in December.

Ingram and the rest of the offense took a major dip in December. The Saints played the Buccaneers and Dolphins in two of the four games in December, as Who Dat Nation watched their offense mightily struggle. Injuries and COVID really haunted the Saints offense late in 2021. Ingram only mustered out a 2.4 YPC in December, as the offense completely sputtered out late in the season.

The Saints OT tandem, which is arguably the best in the NFL, missed a combined 16 games last season. Matter, in fact, the Saints had a record of 58 different starters last season. It would be an understatement to say it was tough sledding for the Saints RB tandem in 2021, especially in the cold month of December.

I believe Ingram was fresh, explosive, and in sync with the scheme that he knew all too well. Ingram was very efficient in 2021, but I believe he can be “very productive” in 2022.

The Saints will likely lose Alvin Kamara to a six-game suspension next season. He will clearly be the bell-cow in Kamara’s shoes the expected six-plus games in 2022. The universe/football gods shouldn’t deal consistent blows to the Saints offensive line, particularly against Ryan Ramcyzyk, who’s only missed one game prior to 2021. Musical chairs will most likely not be on the menu for the Saints OL in 2022.

Finally, the Saints should have a healthy Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas in their offense moving forward. The Saints won’t march into contests where opposing defenses fill the box and show no worry of the Saints passing attack. Expect the Saints 2011 NFL draft from Alabama pick to run strong next season and help his team push for their second taste of Super Bowl triumph.

The post Why Mark Ingram could make the Pro Bowl next season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Some might say dynasty fantasy football season never sleeps. Then there are those who appeal to the notion that “fantasy football season” never sleeps. The 2022 fantasy season should be special, as we will witness a healthy Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey notably. Truth be told, the list of star players that will be returning ought to go on a yellow text far into the galaxy. 

Still, the stargazing and dream draft pick(s) isn’t what fantasy love should be all about. We love the juicy sleepers and players that can shock the FF realm. With that said, let’s take an early look at some 2022 sleepers from the RB position. 

• Michael Carter

The New York Jets fourth-round pick has been one of the lone bright spots on the 4-12 squad. Carter has ousted roughly 73 all-purpose yards per game (missed three), as he’s been reliable in the run and pass game. A healthy Mekhi Becton, more impressive growth in the system, and fewer defenders in the box from at least a modest passing game, should provide wonders for Carter in year two. We shouldn’t expect a year-two jump that we saw out of Jonathan Taylor, but he should at least crack the 1,000-yard club. 

The New York Post nicely depicts how Mike LaFleur raves about his knack to learn quickly and utilize his all-around skill set. If he continues to keep climbing the ladder, he should have a nice floor and thrilling ceiling.

• Mark Ingram 

It’s strange to see Mark Ingram, also known as the Saints hypeman, turn back the clock at age 32. The bowling ball halfback has had 3.8 YPC and 398 all-purpose yards (seven games) in his short Saints tenure thus far. These stats don’t truly reveal how impressive his running has been with NOLA. In comparison, Alvin Kamara has only mustered out 3.6 YPC, which is a full yard worse than his previous YPC of 4.6 YPC. The Saints OL has been beaten up and to be honest, the Saints offense has been absolutely decimated. It’s been reported that the Saints have set an NFL record of 58 different starters this season. Ingram may be a bit of a deep sleeper, but he could surprise A LOT of fantasy fanatics when he’s in sync with a healthy, well-oiled machine in NOLA. The Saints have lost Terron Armstead, Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Deonte Harris, and the list goes on. Yet, Ingram looks explosive and efficient when he’s not meeting defenders at the line of scrimmage.

• Elijah Mitchell 

This might be a bit of an obvious *sleeper choice. Nonetheless, let’s not forget how absolutely phenomenal Elijah Mitchell is. As a rookie, the former Louisiana RB has notched 878 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC, in 10 games. If his rushing yard tally is averaged out over 17 games, the rook would have picked up 1,492 yards on the ground. That would place him second in the league (1734 is the first/1205 would be the third). Mitchell is flat out a special football player and fully expect him to be a Top 5 RB with ease next season. Fall in love with the news circling around him throughout the offseason.

The post 3 sleeper RBs to target in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Rishi Patel

Welcome to this new NFL column where I will be preaching my advice about which fantasy players you should pluck off your waiver wire each week during this NFL season. My name is Rishi Patel, I’m a sportswriter who’s dabbled across many sites and hopes to be the king of fantasy football advice one day.

During each NFL season, there are usually sleepers that emerge who you should pick up off the waiver wire due to various reasons, such as better performances than expected, injuries, etc. It’s important to make good use of the waiver wire as players from here could sometimes be good depth and even a starter for your team in critical stretches. Let’s look at some players you should consider for this week:

Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills

Veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders is no longer a fantasy stud, but he could certainly remain in the flex conversation going forward after putting up four receptions for 52 yards on eight targets in Week 1 with his new team, the Buffalo Bills. The veteran should be in contention for the WR2 role behind Stefon Diggs as the season progresses. He’s worth adding for now and potentially starting down the road if he shows out. 

Mark Ingram II, Houston Texans

The Texans have quite a jumbled backfield with a few backs fighting for touches, but Mark Ingram stood out in Week 1. Is he a starting play going forward? That’s probably something that doesn’t have an answer as we will have to wait and see if he takes the majority of touches in the coming weeks.

But he did well in Week 1 as he had 26 carries for 85 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Phillip Lindsay had only eight carries and David Johnson had three. Ingram’s a great player to stash on your bench for now. 

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

Mitchell will be one of the most popular pickups this week given that 49ers starting RB Raheem Mostert will be out for the season with a knee injury. When Mostert went down in Week 1, the rookie out of Louisiana stepped up big and took 19 carries for 104 yards and a score. 

Mitchell is a good candidate for the RB1 role going forward after this performance. He’s worth picking up in fantasy and could eventually become a good starting play if he shows consistency. For now, it’s best to add him only. 

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Look, the calls for Trey Lance may keep picking up as the season progresses, but Jimmy G had a thing or two to show during Week 1’s close win over the Lions. The embattled QB put up 314 yards and a score on 68% completion. As long as the QB plays efficiently and turnover-free, it would be hard for coach Kyle Shanahan to bench him. Jimmy G. could certainly warrant streaming consideration if he plays like this in the upcoming games. 

Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions

Former Packer Jamaal Williams, though expected to be the RB2 in Detroit behind D’Andre Swift, played like a RB1 in Week 1. Williams took nine carries for 54 yards and a score (compared to Swift’s 11 carries for 39 yards) and also chipped in in the passing game to the tune of eight receptions for 56 yards on nine targets. While Swift did have 65 yards receiving as well, the numbers for the two backs were more similar than many may have thought.

If Williams can keep up these types of numbers in the passing and rushing game, he would be a decent flex play each week. For now, he’s worth adding to your bench. 

Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals

While it’s evident QB Kyler Murray and WR DeAndre Hopkins are studs for Arizona, the team will need another WR to step up and play at an elite level. While Christian Kirk shined in Week 1, he hasn’t really stood out during his brief NFL career, but rookie Rondale Moore could start off his career with a bang.

Moore finished Week 1 with four receptions for 68 yards on five targets and looked fantastic in his NFL debut. While it remains to be seen if he can keep up these numbers, he’s certainly worth adding as depth. 

Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos

The Broncos suffered a huge blow when Jerry Jeudy went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 1’s win over the Giants. Now, Jeudy will be out for roughly four to six weeks and Denver needs another WR to step up alongside Courtland Sutton.

The likely candidates to do that are Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler. While none of these guys had a standout performance (Patrick: 4/39/1 and Hamler: 3/41/0) in Week 1, it’s expected both of these guys will see more targets now that things will be opened up a bit. Both are worth stashing right now. 

The post Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2    appeared first on Pro Football Mania.