Tim Hightower, CJ Spiller's Week 14 Fantasy Outlook with Mark Ingram Injury

After New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram was placed on season-ending injured reserve this week, fantasy owners who planned to handcuff Ingram with C.J. Spiller are set for disappointment, as Tim Hightower is likely to take over his role, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Rapoport reported that Hightower would receive "the bulk of the carries," per NFL Media, after Spiller failed to grasp New Orleans' offense and after the team started to "doubt some of the explosiveness he has."

That is exactly what happened Sunday during the Saints' 24-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here is a look at the final tallies for each New Orleans running back and some of the highlights from the game:

	Carries	Rushing Yards	Touchdown Runs	Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdown Catches	Targets
Tim Hightower	28	85	1	1	10	0	1
C.J. Spiller	3	2	0	3	7	0	3

It's very possible that Hightower is still available in many leagues, and Rapoport's report and his Sunday totals make him a must-add player down the stretch. While he's unlikely to replicate the consistent production that Ingram offered owners—Hightower was out of football for three years before signing with the Saints this season—opportunities are everything for a running back when it comes to fantasy relevance, and it appears he is about to come into plenty of them after an impressive outing.

Hightower's head coach certainly believes in him.

“He’s competitive, he’s tough, and he’s been in that spotlight," Sean Payton said, per Mike Triplett of ESPN "And for him, it's the confidence that leg is [at] 100 percent. So I'm excited to see him play, just like I am with C.J. [Spiller]. It’ll be a good opportunity."

Fantasy owners shouldn't consider Hightower anything more than a flex consideration at this point until we see if he can replicate Sunday's yardage against better defenses (New Orleans was dead last against the run coming into Sunday's game). But if Hightower continues to earn the bulk of the carries, he could very well be an RB2 down the stretch and a huge addition for owners during the playoff weeks given the various injuries to top players at the position this year.

Spiller, meanwhile, remains a player worth owning, though his upside appears to be more limited than Hightower's given this news. Much will ultimately depend on how the players are used, though it appears Spiller will continue to be used more as a change-of-pace weapon rather than the team's featured option in the backfield.