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10 Underrated Fantasy Running Backs

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) runs during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A quick way to tease out which players are potential values is to compare projections with cost. Below are running backs that we believe will return draft equity, based on their current prices. The focus was on players upon whom all PFF rankers generally agreed, and the staff consensus ranking was not propped up by a single analyst’s opinion.

We will use Fantasy Football Calculator average draft position (ADP) data, from 12-team standard scoring leagues that have drafted in the past month. It offers an accurate representation of casual players who will populate most draft rooms over the next couple of weeks. Next to each running back’s name is a score that details how many slots above ADP we have that player ranked.

Mark Ingram, Saints (+2)

While two spots is not a major difference, it is amplified when the player in question is a high-end RB2. PFF’s 12th-graded runner (+4.4) scored the ninth-most fantasy points on a per-game basis last year, and is the 15th back off the board in 2015. As the lead dog in a high-scoring, high-volume offense, his nine touchdowns appear sustainable.

On an opportunity-adjusted basis, he actually should have scored more (10.6). With C.J. Spiller on the shelf, the Saints have been working on Ingram’s receiving skills as well. While he won’t be mistaken for Darren Sproles anytime soon, every little bit helps, and there are plenty of passes available after four of their six most-targeted players departed.

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Pat Thorman is a Lead Writer for PFF Fantasy and was named 2013 Newcomer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. You can follow him on Twitter at @Pat_Thorman

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