It’s easy to look at Darren Sproles and quickly write him off due to his 5’6” frame. But despite his small stature, Sproles is solid at 190 pounds, lightning quick and one of the most elusive runners in space, currently in the NFL. While I have continuously damned the New Orleans Saints for their inability to correctly utilize a young Reggie Bush, Sean Payton and company have done a much better job of working Sproles into the offense. Let’s take a look at his fantasy value for the upcoming season, as well as the future.
2012 Stats | Att | Yds | TD's | Rec | Yds | TD's | RB Rank | PPG |
| 48 | 244 | 1 | 75 | 667 | 7 | 22nd | 10.69 |
2013 Outlook
By now it should be extremely obvious that Sproles isn’t your typical running back and isn’t going to rack up the yardage on the ground. While he will get 40-80 carries over the course of the season, Sproles is going to make his impact in the passing game. In his two years with the Saints, Sproles has 215 targets, 161 receptions, 1,377 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. His 685 yards after the catch in 2012 also led the league. While he finished last season ranked 22nd in standard fantasy scoring, Sproles was the 14th best in PPR leagues. He was a RB2 option in both, just with a much higher upside in PPR leagues. Look for his value to once again be about the same in each format, although he could push his way into fringe RB1 territory in PPR.
Dynasty Outlook
Some will point to the fact that Sproles has significantly less mileage on his body than most backs his age, but the fact of the matter is that he’s still 30 years old. If you can load up on young talent that will make a significant impact in the future, it’s perfectly okay to rely on Sproles for the next few years. That way if he declines at any point down the road, you’ll have someone ready to plug into his spot and just keep chugging along.
2013 Stat Projections: 70 receptions, 625 yards, seven receiving touchdowns, 375 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.