Fantasy Football: 10 Sleeper Running Backs to Target in 2017
Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles
Death. Taxes. A top-30 PPR finish for Darren Sproles. The three consistencies in life.
Sproles has moved up over the past few weeks to an early 11th-round pick in PPR leagues after languishing in the 13th round from mid-June through July. He's still just the 49th running back off the board -- much too low.
Though his Rushing NEP per attempt has dropped in each season with Philadelphia, his 0.06 mark in 2016 -- in his age-33 season -- was still 17th at the running back position, just behind Mark Ingram and Jordan Howard, and a hair above Tevin Coleman.
Sproles has finished as a top-30 PPR back in each of the past eight seasons -- he's one of only three players to do so.
| Player | Top-30 PPR Seasons Since 2009 | Avg. RB Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Darren Sproles | 8 | 21.9 |
| Frank Gore | 8 | 14.1 |
| Matt Forte | 8 | 9.5 |
| LeSean McCoy | 7 | 8.4 |
| Adrian Peterson | 6 | 5.8 |
| DeMarco Murray | 6 | 14.0 |
| Steven Jackson | 6 | 17.3 |
| Chris Johnson | 5 | 7.4 |
| DeAngelo Williams | 5 | 20.8 |
| Fred Jackson | 5 | 15.6 |
| Jamaal Charles | 5 | 6.4 |
| Jonathan Stewart | 5 | 21.4 |
| Ray Rice | 5 | 7.4 |
While Doug Pederson struggles to figure out who the early-down back is in Philly, Sproles’ role is well carved out. Sproles is Sproles. Respect him, and draft him earlier. —Ian Goldsmith
