James Starks, Eddie Lacy's Pre-Week 10 Fantasy Advice

Eddie Lacy is out, James Starks is in as the Green Bay Packers' starting running back. Packers coach Mike McCarthy made the announcement Wednesday, saying Starks leapfrogged Lacy ahead of Week 10's game against the Detroit Lions.

“I would say James is our No. 1 back right now, going into Detroit,” McCarthy said, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com. “He has played very well and he earned that opportunity. But I’m not a big believer in just riding one running back the whole season, so we’ll stay with the 1-2 punch.”

This doesn't come as much of a surprise after Starks received 16 touches to Lacy's five in last Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers. While that was partially due to Lacy leaving in the third quarter with a groin injury, Starks was clearly the preferred option even before then. The two have been splitting carries for much of the season, with Starks outperforming Lacy in nearly every major category.

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated supports the move:

Starks, 29, is far from a sure thing to break out down the stretch. He's never topped 578 rushing yards in his career and averages a steady-but-unspectacular 4.3 yards per carry overall. Lacy is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, scored 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons and will probably still be Green Bay's short-yardage back. It's worth noting that Starks has never had more than three rushing touchdowns in a season.

The Packers' ground game has also been on a downswing the past two weeks, with Lacy and Starks combining for 96 yards in losses to Denver and Carolina.

“It needs to be better,” McCarthy said of the team's run blocking. “It’s not just one guy. If it was, we would have made an adjustment or a change.”

As it stands, not all that much changes here from a fantasy perspective. Starks is a flex guy or low-end RB2 who might have some added value in PPR leagues if he's treated as a true top running back. Lacy hasn't reached droppable status because it's possible he returns to form down the stretch, but his value is plummeting. Fast.

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