The 2022 fantasy football season is underway as drafts fire off across the nation. Now is the time to dive into New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram’s ADP and determine whether or not fantasy managers are receiving a value in their fantasy football drafts. With a potential suspension still on the horizon for Alvin Kamara, is Ingram a must-draft in 2022, and does he have standalone value for fantasy?
Mark Ingram ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
With an ADP of 172 as the RB50 in PPR formats according to FantasyPros, Ingram is one of my top picks in the latter part of drafts. PFN’s 2022 fantasy football redraft rankings has Ingram as the RB44 in PPR, and he’s slightly earlier in the overall ranks at 113. Besides Kamara (RB8 – ADP 13), Ingram is the only Saints RB selected in the top 300 of PPR fantasy drafts.
When you’re building a fantasy team, Ingram serves two roles. For one, he is the direct handcuff to Kamara and an essential pick for anyone selecting Kamara in the second round. While it does appear Kamara might avoid suspension in 2022, there is no guarantee. Therefore, having the next man up is crucial for any games Kamara misses via suspension, injury, or otherwise.
Ingram is also a fantastic depth option for any roster build as an RB4/5. I expect Ingram to have a role in the offense alongside Kamara, serving as more of a change-of-pace RB. New Orleans has also strategically used both simultaneously, splitting Kamara out wide due to his pass-catching skills while keeping Ingram in the backfield as a pass blocker and outlet for Jameis Winston.
While Ingram is on the wrong side of the age cliff (33), finding a proven, productive RB who can have a floor of 150 touches in the 11th round is hard. Although his weekly value could be more on the touchdown-dependant side of things when Kamara is active, Ingram will have weeks as a solid flex play in 2022. If Kamara is absent, Ingram bumps into the low-end RB2 territory.
Mark Ingram’s projected fantasy value in 2022
Due to the postponement of Kamara’s court date, we won’t have a resolution by the time fantasy managers are drafting. I would not let that stop you from drafting Ingram.
He averaged 13.3 rushing attempts and 5.7 targets for 82.3 scrimmage yards and 11.4 fantasy points per game in games Kamara missed last year, scoring over 12 fantasy points twice and finishing as the RB36, RB10, and RB13 along the way. Even when on the field with Kamara (31 games), Ingram has averaged 14.36 PPR/game dating back to 2017. While this is certainly not the same Ingram, the role is not too dissimilar.
New Orleans ran Kamara into the ground last year, as he rushed a career-high 240 times in 12 games (17.5 att/game). That’s not his game nor what the Saints likely want him to do. Things shifted when they acquired Ingram via a trade with the Texans. In their four games together, Kamara dropped to 14.25 att/game while averaging just 12.75 PPR/game. Keeping Kamara in the sub-15 carry range with five or more targets a game is the more realistic and likely plan of attack in 2022.
During that same time, Ingram averaged 13.7 opportunities a game, including 13 red-zone carries to Kamara’s 33. Ingram is Kamara’s handcuff and will have standalone value for fantasy in 2022. For an 11th-round pick, that’s as good as you could ask for out of a running back.
