As a running back in the National Football League, Vick Ballard is nothing extraordinary; he was selected in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and he even tripped on his first 40-yard dash attempt at the NFL combine - he was clocked at 4.65 on his second attempt. In his rookie season, he posted a mark of only 3.9 yards-per-carry (which you can see in the table below). It’s unlikely that you’ll see him heading to a Pro-Bowl and you probably won’t see him on ESPN’s Top-Plays very often, but he has one thing that everyone wants: opportunity, which is something overlooked way too often in fantasy football. Ballard will enter the 2013 season as the undisputed, lead running back for the Colts.

As you should’ve expected, the overall numbers from his rookie season aren’t dazzling. However, he was productive. After Donald Brown underwent arthroscopic knee surgery following the Colts Week 5 upset of the Green Bay Packers, Ballard received the starting nod for the remainder of the season. In those starts, Ballard actually fared a little better:

Those numbers, especially the increase in his YPC, provide a lot more hope for Ballard’s prospects in 2013 and over sixteen-game season would have resulted in:

Even with the low touchdown rate, the 159.2 fantasy points would have placed him as RB16 in 2010, RB13 in 2011 and RB17 in 2012. For reference, his ADP on FantasyFootballCalculator.com currently places him as RB28. Following the Colts playoff game, Bob Kravitz of Indianapolis Star wrote, “the organization seems to have found a workhorse.” The fact that the Colts did not bring in competition at the running back position suggests Kravitz was correct. While Vick Ballard may not carry your fantasy football team on his back, his job as the lead back is safe and he should remain productive, which is more than enough to target him in 2013.

Update (June 12th, 2013): Well, so much for the opportunity that made Vick Ballard a good fantasy football running back. Newly acquired Ahmad Bradshaw is expected to at the very least lead a committee consisting of the two players, but could become a featured running back if he is able to remain healthy.