Eddie Lacy has been taking snaps on all three downs with the Green Bay first team so far in training camp - and he has reportedly excelled as a three-down contributor. His role will be central on the Green Bay offense this year - so much so that James Starks has seen precious few opportunities to participate with the first team in practice sessions. The team isn't going to expose Lacy to much work during preseason, according to head coach Mike McCarthy on August 12, another sign that he is going to be heavily involved during the upcoming regular season. Many expect Lacy to outperform his solid rookie campaign (284/1,178/11 rushing with 35/257/0 receiving) here in the 2014 season.
Given all the above, what if Lacy goes down to a season-ending injury or is suspended early on in the year for the year - a la LaVon Brazill? How would the Packers' offense change, and who should fantasy owners seek to add in the event that Green Bay has to do without Lacy for an extended period of time?
Starks (89/493/3 rushing with 10/89/1 receiving as Lacy's backup last year) would immediately vault into prominence as the Packers' lead back - during the first preseason game this August (with Lacy held out) Starks ran on six of the first eight plays for 49 yards (8.2 yards per carry average), including consecutive runs of 4, 3, 11 and 20 yards to close out the drive with a TD."He picked up where he left off," head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. "James looked like he was in midseason form. That first drive was impressive. We wanted to accomplish running the football in the first drive. James was excellent." The Packers' rushing attack is stacked with quality at the top of the depth chart entering the 2014 season.
BUY
James Starks, if at all possible. Wise/lucky Lacy owners will have rostered Starks as a handcuff to Lacy, but that doesn't always happen in fantasy drafts. Starks could be buried on another roster that is stacked at running back - and you never know what the answer will be until you make an offer. Don't be shy.
HOLD
Everyone you've already drafted on the Packers' offense (excepting Lacy) - Lacy going down would make the running back stable more shallow, but the Packers have enough depth at the position to keep the entire offense functioning at a high level.
ADD
DuJuan Harris would likely gain reps if Lacy were out - he's a versatile player who catches the ball well out of the backfield (Starks is rarely thrown the football - he had 89 carries last year in part-time duty with just 10 receptions). Harris would become relevant in PPR leagues in the event that Lacy went down for an extended period. In the first preseason game this year, Harris followed Starks as the next Lacy backup to appear, and he ended the night with 7/18/0 rushing and 2/6/0 receiving on the night (he also had a nice 40-yard kickoff return on special teams). "I'm not surprised how we ran it," Harris said after the game. "The offensive line was working hard and opening up some holes. With all the talents we have, we have something big here. We just have to keep on getting better."
If Rajion Neal keeps contributing to the Packers' attack as he did in the first preseason game (5/39/1 rushing, for a 7.8 yards-per-carry average) he might be on the roster come regular season, though he'd likely go undrafted in fantasy circles. Sometimes injuries come in flurries - with Lacy down, Neal could pay dividends if Starks were to go down as well. He'd be worth stashing on the bench off the waiver wire in this scenario.
SELL
None - unless you own Starks and get offered a bonanza of players for him by a running-back-starved fellow owner. If the offer is enough to put you over the top during fantasy playoffs, don't be afraid to deal Starks - IF you have better options ahead of him.