When Darren Sproles has the ball in his hands, he can be one of the most dynamic playmakers in all of football. Entering his 11th year in the NFL, the 32-year-old Sproles is still averaging 5.2 yards per rush and 9.0 yards per reception throughout his career.
This seems to indicate that the Philadelphia Eagles made a major mistake by failing to utilize him to the best of his ability last season. While he did average a whopping 7.4 yards per touch, Sproles only averaged 6.5 touches per game. In fact, he only put up 10-plus touches three times.
This is something Eagles head coach Chip Kelly wants to change in 2015.
“It’s year two for him (Sproles), so I think he feels really comfortable in terms of what our running backs are doing,” the head coach said Friday, via Philly.com. “So we are just kind of cross-training him like we do some other guys in terms of how do we get our best players on the field and put them in different situations.”
Even with the additions of DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews in the offseason, there should still be enough touches to go around in Philadelphia's backfield. For Sproles, hopefully that means he will see more consistent action. His best season came back in 2011 when the smallish running back tallied over 1,300 total yards and nine scores for the New Orleans Saints. That season saw him average nearly 11 touches per game.
Fantasy Slant
As we mentioned above, touches shouldn't be an issue here. If Philadelphia is intent on getting Sproles more involved, he'll be able to make an impact. Last season saw Eagles running backs average 31 touches per game. Considering the team ran over 71 plays per game, there are definitely opportunities to be had.
Sproles, who averaged 1.09 fantasy points per touch last season, could be in a good position to be an under-the-radar FLEX performer if given more touches this year. Heck, Murray averaged just 0.66 points per touch in 2014. While that's obviously an awkward comparison to make, it just goes to show us what type of a fantasy impact Sproles can make. Give him just three more touches per game, and he's right up there among the top-20 fantasy running backs in the NFL.
With an ADP that currently has him going in the middle of the 12th round, there's absolutely no reason to avoid Sproles that late in the draft. Take a chance on him, and see what the veteran could do for you. He might very well be a tremendous surprise. The risk/reward is just too good to pass up on.