All Darren Sproles does is give you a strong return on your investment.
| Average Draft Position | Finish | |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | RB45 | RB28 |
| 2014 | RB32 | RB25 |
| 2013 | RB17 | RB24 |
| 2012 | RB13 | RB12 |
| 2011 | RB49 | RB5 |
Over the last five years -- the seasons since he moved from San Diego to New Orleans -- Sproles has failed to outperform his draft cost in PPR leagues just once, where he finished as the 24th-best running back in fantasy football after being drafted as the number-17 back.
That's sort of irrelevant, but it's also sort of not: consensus consistently doesn't love Darren Sproles as much as he should be loved.
Today, Sproles is being drafted at RB47 in PPR leagues on FantasyFootballCalculator.com. He's finished no lower than the 28th-best back over the last five years.
And there's reason to believe he can even exceed that RB28 mark this year. The Eagles are thin at running back, with Ryan Mathews and a whole lot of question marks. But they're also thin at wide receiver, even after trading for Dorial Green-Beckham.
When now-Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was in Kansas City serving as their offensive coordinator over the last three years, we saw Kansas City rank 2nd, 8th, and 22nd in running back receptions each year, respectively. Of course, 2015 was mostly Jamaal Charles-less, which is a big reason that number dropped. But the Chiefs also ran the second-fewest plays in the NFL due to having such positive game scripts down the stretch. Considering that fact, it's actually a plus that they were still able to rank where they did in total running back receptions last year.
To add to this narrative, Eagles beat writers are already talking about featuring Sproles in the receiving game this season. And why wouldn't they? There's a slight trend in Pederson utilizing his backs in the passing game, and the Eagles wide receiver depth is lacking tremendously.
It'd be shocking if Sproles didn't give you a big return on investment this season in PPR leagues.