Fantasy Upside
Mark Ingram has continued to re-invent his game over the course of his career, and while it’s easy to forget his production in the shadow of Alvin Kamara, he averaged 84.1 yards from scrimmage per game since Kamara arrived. Ingram is a legit three-down back who caught 58 passes just two years ago. With the Ravens, Ingram should have every opportunity to put up big numbers in Greg Roman’s offense. Roman’s Bills in 2015 and 2016 led the league in rushing yards, and his 49ers from 2011 to 2014 never finished lower than eighth. He should have no trouble beating out the incumbent Gus Edwards, who averaged 16 carries per game as a starter last year.
Fantasy Downside
Ingram is 29 years old, and 30 tends to be the age where we expect to see a decline from the position. Also, a new team doesn’t always mean production, so there’s some uncertainty there. Ingram was suspended for four games last season for PEDs, so reliability could be a minor concern. Additionally, Drew Brees takes a lot of pressure off of the running game, whereas Lamar Jackson amplifies it. Jackson is bound to steal some goal-line work and some of the rushing workload from Ingram, as he averaged 79.4 rushing yards per game over seven starts last year.
2019 Bottom Line
Even if Ingram slides right into the Gus Edwards role, he’ll still have fantasy value. Factor in the 43 vacated targets left by Javorius Allen and Ingram has a very high floor. With a late-fourth-round price tag in 12-team leagues, he should be considered a safe and reliable RB2 option in all league formats. He’s well-worth his draft position and should thrive in this offense.