Mark Ingram update: Appeal already denied on PED suspension
After stating he would challenge the system following a four-game suspension, New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram is going to serve the full term.
On Tuesday night, the New Orleans Saints found out they would be without star running back Mark Ingram for the first four games of the regular season due to a performance enhancing drug suspension.
Ingram, however, wasn’t going to go down without a fight. In a statement from his representation, the Pro Bowl back stated that he would fight against the ban, hoping to either get it reduced or overturned. Apparently, that dream was short-lived.
Per the NFL, Mark Ingram's appeal has already been heard and denied. Ingram's representatives are just waiting for the full written decision.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 9, 2018
Without Ingram in the fold, the Saints are going to have a tougher time winning the NFC South this time around. New Orleans finished 11-5 last year and was able to hold off the Carolina Panthers via tiebreaker and the Atlanta Falcons by a game. Coincidentally, the Saints will play the Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Week 3, putting Atlanta at a nice advantage.
For fantasy owners, this makes for an interesting decision. The Saints are going to turn to Alvin Kamara for even more touches in his second year, while Ingram sits on the pine throughout September. Do owners roll with Ingram and stash him for the first few weeks, or do they go another direction?
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The other interesting factor at play is whether Kamara can handle the workload. The versatile superstar back never had more than 12 carries in a single game last year, a number that will undoubtedly be superseded without Ingram to split carries. In the long term, does that help or hurt his fantasy stock?