Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Pierre Thomas Injury

The New Orleans Saints' backfield has presented a frustrating quandary for fantasy football owners. The team features several talented running backs, but their inconsistent roles have made it difficult to trust any of them. An injury to Pierre Thomas changes the outlook, though.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports the versatile veteran is expected to miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury suffered during a loss to the Detroit Lions:

His absence is going to open up a couple dozen snaps. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes Thomas led all New Orleans backs with 27 snaps in Week 7. Mark Ingram followed closely with 25. Then there was Travaris Cadet with 20 and Khiry Robinson with five.

The stats tell the rest of the story:

It paints a positive picture for Ingram, even though he averaged less than two yards per carry. Not only did he get the most snaps outside of Thomas, but he also got the most touches. Robinson got work on the ground, and Cadet was only involved in the passing game.

As for the lack of production, much of that is due to the strong play of the Lions rush defense. They illustrated why they rank second in the league against the run. It forced New Orleans to become one-dimensional on offense and eventually sparked the Detroit comeback.

After the game, Saints head coach Sean Payton was questioned as to why he didn't shift more to the run with the lead late in the game. The aforementioned Triplett passed along the response.

"You get in that situation, and it's tough. ... Hand it off three times, and there's two minutes, 48 seconds, more than that. So you go back and forth," Payton said. "It's less than a one-score game. We were in those situations last year. When the team's got three timeouts, and the team's got north of 3:30, 3:40—that's a ton of time."

The result wasn't what the Saints were hoping for, but it's hard to argue with the logic. The running game did very little all day against a stout front, so he put the ball in Drew Brees' hands.

There should be more room on the ground in Week 8. The Saints welcome the Green Bay Packers and their 31st-ranked run defense to the Superdome.

Ingram, who just returned from a hand injury, should slide into a far more prominent dual-threat role. The next couple weeks without Thomas are his chance to prove he can serve as a legitimate No. 1 back in the NFL rather than being caught up in the rotation.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see his snap total be equal to that of Robinson and Cadet combined. He should also finish with around 20 touches. That's enough to consider him a solid No. 2 RB or flex option against a struggling Packers rush defense.

As for those other two options, Robinson is the more appealing choice this week due to the matchup. He's the more effective rusher and should get a fair share of short-yardage looks. It makes him a fringe flex option dependent on a touchdown or two to put up a big score.

Cadet, who has just three carries compared to 16 catches, could get some third-down work. There isn't enough upside to recommend him this week, though. He's in line to have more value in Week 9 against a Carolina Panthers defense that hasn't lived up to expectations.

Ultimately, the situation isn't completely cleared up with Thomas out. That said, Ingram is the option with the best chance to make a notable impact over next couple weeks.