Ryan Grant Injury: Will Packers Lean on Grant or James Starks in NFL Week 5?

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke with the media for his Monday postgame news conference, and we got a little tidbit of news from Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Silverstein regarding the Packers running backs. 

Here's the tweet: 

"

Mike McCarthy press conference: Driver is not in danger of playing. He feels good. Grant has been cleared to play for Sunday.

"

Ryan Grant will be back for the Packers in Week 5 when Green Bay travels to Atlanta to take on the 2-2 Falcons. 

We've seen a timeshare in the Packers backfield through four games, with Grant starting most games before giving way to second-year back James Starks. In the first three games, both Grant and Starks had 32 carries apiece.

There's no reason to expect that to change in Week 5, even with a few other factors affecting the decision.

Grant certainly looked like the running back of old before bruising his kidney in Chicago, as he ran for 92 yards on 17 carries. Starks was hesitant and looked out of sorts in the same game, but he was clearly the better runner in the preseason and first two regular-season games.

Against the Broncos with Grant out, Starks carried the ball 13 times for 63 yards and had five catches for 38 more.

Still, expect McCarthy and the Packers offense to utilize both against the Falcons. You could get the sense that the Packers want to lean a little more to the younger and more violent Starks, but McCarthy isn't afraid to give the guy with the hot hand the ball. That was the case in Chicago. 

The Packers are always going to be a pass-first team, and that will limit both players' touches in the running game. Each can expect 10 or so carries, which has been around their average in three games, in Week 5. It doesn't appear that Grant will have any limitations health-wise, so that's a fair assessment. 

Fantasy owners of the two players won't like it, but it's worked for the Packers so far. There's no reason to expect them to deviate from that game plan.