Packers look to get James Starks more involved

Eddie Lacy has been playing like a rookie of the year candidate. James Starks is healthy and running hard again.

Now the challenge for the Packers is finding the right balance, the right mixture of both.

They don't want to overwork the starter Lacy, who currently ranks fifth in carries per game. Green Bay will need the bruising rookie fresh down the stretch. And the Packers will also want to be careful with Starks, who has battled several injuries through his four-year career.

Lacy has asserted himself as a starter through 97 carries in four straight wins. But signs point to more of a balance than the 29/7 split Sunday night at Minnesota. And as the Packers often say, they'll be riding the "hot hand."

With WR Randall Cobb and TE Jermichael Finley out, and WR James Jones still a question, it's not a surprise that the Packers just want to run the ball a few more times and that means giving it Starks rather than increasing Lacy's carries. For now, Lacy should still be the RB1, but Starks looks like he's going to see a bump in value and may even be a flex option in deeper leagues going forward. If you own Lacy, Starks would be a good handcuff.