Green Bay Packers

James Starks fantasy outlook: Start him over Eddie Lacy?

Published Nov. 9, 2015 11:21 a.m. ET

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Fantasy football owners who drafted Eddie Lacy in the first round are likely beyond frustrated, and understandably so. But the savvy ones should already have help sitting on their bench in the form of veteran back James Starks.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, Lacy left Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers with a groin injury. He had rushed for just 10 yards on five carries prior to exiting, and he likely would have been benched anyway after losing a fumble in the second quarter.

Starks played a bigger role in Green Bay’s offense Sunday, racking up 122 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown. While his stats were impressive, he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and caught six passes for 83 yards while the Packers were playing catch up.

Still, it is starting to look like Starks has earned more work in Green Bay’s backfield, especially if Lacy is battling another injury. Lacy has looked indecisive and overweight this season after he dominated down the stretch in 2014. A lot of his struggles have to do with an early-season ankle injury, but there’s no escaping the feeling that he has regressed.

The best case scenario for fantasy owners who own both Lacy and Starks would be for Lacy to be benched or sit out with an injury. Otherwise, the two backs will continue to cap each other’s production. But even if both play, Starks is more trustworthy at the moment.

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