RADIO
The New Orleans Saints placed starting running back Mark Ingram on the season-ending injured reserve list Wednesday, adding more pain to an already painful 2015 campaign. The show must always go on in fantasy, though, as two Saints running backs now move up on the depth chart; C.J. Spiller and Tim Hightower. But is it worth giving either of them a look come Sunday?
When the Saints signed Spiller in the offense, he appeared to be a perfect fit for Drew Brees and New Orleans' fast-paced offense before even lacing up his cleats. But what seemed favorable on paper, didn't pan out to success on the field. On the ground, Spiller has a woeful 108 yards on a laughable 31 carries on the year, with zero rushing touchdowns. His season high of 24 yards came on a season high of eight carries against the Washington Redskins Week 10.
Spiller does have fantasy value but only in deeper, 12+ team PPR leagues. He has double the amount of receiving yards than rushing and has two fewer receptions than carries; numbers still less than stifling to believe the Saints have any clue what they will do with Spiller the rest of the way. Spiller remains a desperation FLEX option, mainly in PPR formats, and his production should be monitored heavily this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have given up the tenth fewest fantasy points to running backs, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Spiller has taken a backseat to the impressively emergent Mark Ingram all season, and it now looks like he still won't be in the drivers seat against the Buccaneers with popular talk of Tim Hightower. In relief of Ingram last week, Hightower picked up 46 yards on 11 carries, in less than a quarters' work; already surpassing the average attempts and production of Spiller.
According to SportingCharts.com, the Saints throw the ball 63.3% of the time. Hightower was an efficient pass-blocker for Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals, and since the Saints are so pass-happy, expect him to take control of the lead back position. According to ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett, Hightower will be featured as New Orleans' first and second down back, and likely their go-to on the goal line, as he stands over six feet tall, and a sizable 220+ pounds. On the Cardinals, Hightower accumulated 23 touchdowns in three season, ten coming in his rookie season. It is still, however, extremely risky to start someone like Hightower who hasn't proven himself yet this season.
Even though both Spiller's and Hightower's value have ascended, they are untrustworthy, and should be given at least a week before plugged into your lineup. It would be smart to stash them both away, if still available, now that they are wait-and-see backs. As playoffs arrive and loom, it is the time for desired certainty, not for taking chances.
