Green Bay Packers: Week 13 Fantasy Profile

Nov 26, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) rushes with the football behind guard

(70) during the first quarter of a NFL game against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

RB – Eddie Lacy, James Starks

Last Game:
Lacy – 105 rushing yards, 5 targets, 4 catches, 34 receiving yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble Lost; 17.90 fantasy points
Starks – 39 rushing yards, 5 targets, 4 catches, 41 receiving yards; 8.00 fantasy points

That injury/benching Eddie Lacy was forced to take the last time these teams met may have been exactly what he needed to finally break into some consistent productivity.

After not even reaching 100 yards once during the first eight games he played in this year, Lacy has now reached 100 yards in the past two games. He also managed to score last game as well — something he only did twice all season before Thursday.

It wasn’t perfect however; he fumbled again (something he’s had a bad habit of this season) and almost threw away his touchdown catch by flipping the ball right as he was passing over the end-zone line.

That type of foolishness boils my blood no matter what player on whichever team does it (is it really that difficult to hold the damn ball for a couple steps beyond the goal line???), but for a guy that’s struggled all year on an offense that’s been flaccid for weeks, you gotta wonder how he could manage to be so careless.

Plays like that got him benched for a bit, unnecessarily limiting his potential production while also helping to further untrack the consistency of the offense yet again.

Though the fumbles are worrisome, I’m inclined to believe he may actually be able to sustain the newly-rediscovered effectiveness as a runner and receiver. Detroit has already talked about needing to stop the run here; they know Lacy can be a piece to turn the tides in Green Bay’s favor.

I expect him to get plenty of chances to do so. I doubt seeing another 100-yard effort (three in a row after none previously seems a bit too optimistic) but given plenty of chances he could produce a decent amount.

Starks ended up not doing well in his debut as the “starter” last time these teams played; despite not having to share carries he was wholly ineffective until some late screen passes boosted his stats.

He really may just be best as a part-time/backup guy; outside of his huge game against San Diego and his efforts to help in the late comeback against Carolina, he hasn’t reached even 10.00 fantasy points in any other week.

He does seem to consistently grab targets in the passing game so there is that aspect, but that is more likely to affect things in terms of the fantasy game by picking up targets that others could have had than he will by what he actually does with those targets himself.

If you play with a ton of teams in your league (or if Lacy gets hurt again), you may want to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, he’s not worth your attention in the fantasy realm.

Week 13 Predictions:
Lacy – 80 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, 1 TD; 15.00 fantasy points
Starks – 20 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards; 3.50 fantasy points

Verdict: Decent Producer (Lacy); Deep League Pass-Catcher (Starks)

Next: Receivers