Marlon Mack was one of the most underrated running backs in football this past season, as he racked up 908 yards and nine touchdowns (in 12 games, mind you) while averaging 4.7 yards per carry living in the shadow of Andrew Luck.
In the playoffs, however, Mack began to receive more attention, as his 148-yard outing in the Indianapolis Colts' Wild Card Round win over the Houston Texans turned a lot of heads.
Now, going into 2019, Mack is no longer really a sleeper, as it seems safe to say that most (not all, but most) know that he is a good halfback who could be in store for a big year, and that is significant news for Fantasy Football owners.
What separates Mack from many other running backs in this league is that he plays for a Colts team that has a terrific offensive line.
That's not taking anything away from Mack, who is a very talented player in his own right, but it helps to run behind a line that is going to consistently open up holes for you, and that is the situation in which Mack finds himself.
Of course, Indianapolis' offense is most known for Luck and T.Y. Hilton, one of the deadliest combinations in football. Devin Funchess is also now on board, giving Luck a very dependable No. 2 target to throw to.
But, as far as the skill positions go, Mack is the third-best player on the Colts' offense, and even with a prolific passing game, Indy will likely turn to him quite a bit in 2019.
Keep this in mind: since Luck took over as the starting quarterback in 2012, Indianapolis has not really had any really good running backs.
Yes, Frank Gore was a big name, but he was long past his prime by the time he joined the Colts in 2015. Trent Richardson was a bust. Vick Ballard lasted one full season in the NFL.
Mack is really the first really good halfback Indianapolis can say it has had in its backfield since drafting Luck seven years ago, and that could mean big things for the Colts' offense in 2019.
The 23-year-old carried the ball 195 times this past year, which ranked 15th in the league. While Indianapolis will likely remain a pass-first offense, expect that number to increase this coming season. Plus, Mack missed four games in 2018, so over the course of a full 16-game campaign, that stat will surely jump.
So, it would not be the least bit surprising to see Mack rack up 1,000 yards on the ground in 2019, and as a matter of fact, you should probably expect it as long as he stays healthy.
The only real drawback to Mack's game is that he is not a great pass catcher out of the backfield.
Mack caught just 17 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in 2018, well below the totals of some of the other top running backs in the league.
Of course, Adrian Peterson has never been a receiver, either, but he was so dominant as a rusher that it didn't matter. As for Mack? This is something that may prevent him from ever truly being an elite fantasy option, as guys like Saquon Barkley, Le'Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, and Christian McCaffrey are all outstanding receiving backs that will be catching around 80 passes year in and year out.
As a matter of fact, Mack ranked just 56th among all running backs in receptions in 2018, which is obviously not very good.
That does not mean you shouldn't want Mack on your fantasy team, however. Based on his efficiency and the fact that he is simply a really good pure rusher, he is a fine option. Just don't expect him to be Barkley or Bell.
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