Is Packers RB Eddie Lacy Ready to Break out in 2nd Half of Season?

Prior to the Green Bay Packers' Week 7 bye, it was top rusher Eddie Lacy who was hurting and second-string running back James Starks who was taking up the charge, leading the team in rushing yards on the season.

But heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Denver Broncos, it appears that Lacy, who had the bye week to get back on track after an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 continued to ail him, will receive the bulk of the carries. 

That's because Starks, who apparently suffered a hip injury in Week 6, may not be ready to go. 

Starks didn't practice on Monday, but no one knew why. Then, on Wednesday, head coach Mike McCarthy revealed that Starks was working through an injury suffered in the game against the San Diego Chargers. 

The injury, later revealed to be a hip in the injury report, kept Starks out of practice on Wednesday, and he was limited on Thursday.

Thus, the stage is set for the team to feed Lacy on Sunday...but can he make the most of those carries?

It appears that the lingering ankle injury that Lacy continued to deny was an issue is finally resolved, according to McCarthy's recent comments. 

"He looks good just watching him work out Monday in the individual stuff. I don’t think the injury is affecting him anymore," the coach said Wednesday before practice, per Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media. 

Slow starts have not been uncommon for Lacy through the previous two years of his career. 

Of Lacy's 1,178 total yards in his rookie season, he gained just 446 of them through the first eight games. Last season, he had gained just 428 yards through the first half of the season but went on to add 711 in the last eight games. 

Though Lacy scored at a consistent rate last season, his rookie season was a tale of two halves. He had three rushing touchdowns in the first half of the season but a whopping eight in the second half. 

This season has started out similarly for Lacy, but the question is whether he'll continue his usual pattern of getting in a groove in the second half.

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Lacy's 260 total yards through six games are heavily skewed by his ankle injury; he had just three attempts in Week 2 before suffering the initial injury and ran the ball just four times in Week 6 despite not appearing on the injury report that week. 

But more concerning than Lacy's production so far this season has been his play. Known for his bruising running style and ability to evade tacklers, Lacy has looked hesitant when hitting the hole and has been less elusive than usual. 

Pro Football Focus' "elusive rating" for Lacy, which measures a runner's success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers, is 25.3 in 2015, putting him at 23rd among qualifying running backs. 

Some of the stats that factor into that rating include his 2.4 yards gained after contact on average, his seven missed tackles while carrying the ball and his one missed tackle as a receiver. 

In 2014, however, Lacy's elusive rating was 71.6, No. 2 among qualifying running backs. He averaged 2.8 yards gained after contact last season and avoided 49 tackles while rushing and 24 while receiving. 

Some have speculated that Lacy's weight could be part of the reason for his decreased performance this season, but he denies that's the case.

"It's based off of photos that float around, so that's not none of my concern until it comes from the guy upstairs on the third floor," Lacy said Thursday, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. "Until it comes down from there, I'm not concerned about it."

It's also difficult to pin Lacy's missteps this season on the offensive line because Starks has been successful.

It's possible that every change in Lacy's game this season stems back to his lingering ankle injury, and given the small sample size of his play so far, we'll keep that presumption open.

However, now that McCarthy has indicated Lacy is all healed up and given Starks' injury, Lacy will need to have a big impact on the field in Week 8 against Denver and beyond. 

The Packers offense has avoided becoming one-dimensional despite Lacy's struggles because Starks has been able to carry the load. But if Lacy continues to struggle into the second half of the season, that's exactly what could happen, which will spell trouble for Aaron Rodgers and the passing offense.