Green Bay Packers' Week 15 Stock Report

Many Green Bay Packers are seeing their stocks rise after the Week 14 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and head coach Mike McCarthy has taken over the play-calling responsibilities for the offense. 

Those two facts are very likely related. 

McCarthy utilized some of his best talent personnel-wise on Sunday, getting running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks involved early and often and featuring Randall Cobb in the passing game. 

The result was a Packers offense that, while not quite resembling the explosiveness it formerly boasted, at least could move the ball down the field and score.

Let's take a look at the stock report heading into Week 15 and break down which players are rising and falling ahead of the meeting with the Oakland Raiders.

Rising: RB Eddie Lacy

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Head coach Mike McCarthy gave running back Eddie Lacy a challenge, and Lacy delivered.

Big time. 

"Everything Eddie wants to accomplish is right there in front of him," McCarthy said Thursday, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "Everything is in front of him. If Eddie or any other player wants to jump up and grab that opportunity, it's right in front of them." 

Lacy grabbed that opportunity and then some against Dallas, when he earned the start at halfback. He rushed for 124 total yards on 24 attempts, gaining 5.2 yards per carry, and had a touchdown. 

His performance began earlier in the week in practice, where he set about proving to coaches his motivation and drive. 

"He had a good week," offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said after the game, per the Packers' Twitter account. "He was focused and made the most of his opportunities on the field and in the classroom."

Given his slow start to the season, Lacy's stock is skyrocketing heading into the Week 15 matchup with the Oakland Raiders, where the Packers will count on him to exploit Oakland's No. 12 rushing defense.

Falling: DE/OLB Mike Neal

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It wasn't necessarily Mike Neal's fault. 

It was surprising to see former defensive end-turned-outside linebacker dropping into zone coverage on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, a move that proved, in the end, to not be very successful.

While Neal didn't have any glaring missed tackles, he didn't really make an impact in the game, either. 

Neal earned the lowest grade of any defensive player in the matchup by Pro Football Focus. 

In rushing the passer on 28 plays, Mike failed to generate a hit, hurry or sack and finished his night with just one tackle. 

Neal is better than this, but he hasn't been playing up to the standard he set in past seasons in 2015. We'll look for him to turn it around in Week 15 against Oakland.

Rising: WR Randall Cobb

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Randall Cobb turned in one of his best performances of the season in Green Bay's win over the Cowboys, and much of it can be attributed to head coach Mike McCarthy's game plan and how he used the veteran. 

Cobb gained 81 yards on eight receptions, seeing success all over the field. 

McCarthy used Cobb in the slot when it created favorable matchups and also ran him out of the backfield, allowing Rodgers to play-fake more successfully. 

Of Cobb's 81 yards, 52 came after the catch per Pro Football Focus.  

Cobb has been quiet for the last few weeks and hasn't scored since the Week 11 game against the Minnesota Vikings. This game was promising in that it showed he can still be an effective weapon, but to win in the playoffs, he'll have to become explosive again. 

McCarthy should be able to help with that.

Rising: CB Damarious Randall

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Damarious Randall has been given multiple opportunities in his rookie season, but he faced one of his biggest tasks Sunday against the Cowboys: shut down Dez Bryant. 

Veteran corner Sam Shields exited the game with a concussion, which meant Randall drew the matchup against Bryant.

Given that Bryant had only one reception for nine yards—despite Matt Cassel targeting him six times and dropping two other passes—it's safe to say the rookie delivered. 

"Damarious Randall played very well against [Bryant]," head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game, per 620 WTMJ. 

Randall's stock has been high all season, but he kept it trending upward with his performance against Dallas. He will likely keep the other starting job into the playoffs after Shields returns given his success as a cover corner this season.

Rising: RB James Starks

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

James Starks turned in his second-best performance of the season on Sunday against Dallas, and he wasn't even Green Bay's starting halfback. 

Despite Eddie Lacy reclaiming the starting job in the backfield, the Packers used Starks often as a change-of-pace back, and he delivered.

Starks ended the game with 71 rushing yards and a touchdown on a breakaway run of 30 yards and added another 32 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

He now has a career-high five touchdowns on the season. 

As the weather gets colder and sloppier and teams look to feature the run more heavily, it's more important than ever that Starks be able to keep Lacy fresh and add dynamism to the offense.