C.J. Spiller’s opportunity in New Orleans has been delayed by injury
Many expected the New Orleans Saints and its high-powered offense to be an excellent fit for running back C.J. Spiller, who signed a four-year, $18-million deal with the team in March.
Unfortunately, Spiller’s change of scenery has not changed his injury propensity, as he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 14 and has missed the entire preseason. Now, according to ESPN New Orleans, Spiller is expected to miss the first two games of the season.
BREAKING NEWS: Sources have told our @ScottyAESPN that #Saints running back CJ Spiller will likely miss the 1st two weeks of the 2015 season
— ESPN New Orleans (@ESPNRadioNOLA) August 27, 2015
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Spiller missed seven games last season for the Buffalo Bills with a broken collarbone and has been nicked up throughout his career. It’s hard to be surprised anymore when Spiller misses time, which is a shame because he is a tremendous talent.
New Orleans brought him in to serve as Mark Ingram‘s backup and play the Darren Sproles role as a pass catcher out of the backfield who occasionally is split out wide. Spiller has proven to be a quality receiver and has caught 202 passes in his five professional seasons.
The role was enticing enough for our experts to rank Spiller as a top-30 running back entering September. However, this injury will likely knock him down a few spots.
As for other players in the Saints’ backfield, Mark Ingram‘s status improves slightly. Ingram is the polar opposite of Spiller and was going to be the bell cow in the backfield regardless of Spiller’s presence. The injury to Spiller only solidifies Ingram as a high-tier RB2 with RB1 upside.
The player who could benefit the most from this injury is Khiry Robinson, who is ranked 56th by our experts. Robinson was rumored to be a breakout back last season, but was overshadowed by Ingram’s breakout year. The third-year back ran for 362 yards last season and will probably be the next back up on the depth chart to take Spiller’s place.
This injury is another tough blow to Spiller’s fantasy stock as many drafts will take place during the Labor Day weekend. Spiller still serves value as a late flier in standard leagues and presents much more value in PPR formats. However, it’s very tough to trust Spiller to stay healthy throughout the entire season.
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Matt Barbato is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Matt, you can view his archive or follow him @realmattbarbato.
