Early Green Bay Packers’ Fantasy Football Primer

The Green Bay Packers have made (and not made) quite a few moves this offseason. None are more noteworthy than the departure of Eddie Lacy. Lacy joined the Seahawks and the Packers also released backup running back James Starks early in the offseason. This left the team with Ty Montgomery as the only proven rostered running back. Montgomery was drafted as a wide receiver and was converted into a running back to calm the team’s panic of losing their other running backs to injury. Montgomery excelled at the position and left plenty to be pleased with moving forward. The Packers later added former Seahawk Christine Michael through a waiver claim.

Michael re-signed with the team for the 2017 season last week. The running backs aren’t the only topics of discussion in Green Bay. Below I’ll look at some moves and potential moves that one can look to for fantasy football success.

The 2017 free agency period has been the year of the tight end for the Packers. The Packers lost Jared Cook, but both Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks were brought in to fill the void. Bennett is coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Patriots and was a target that haunted the Packers for years during his time in Chicago. Replacing Cook with Bennett is a move that’s an upgrade. Bennett is bigger than Cook and has a stat sheet that blows Cook away.

The Bennett signing has major fantasy implications.

The Packers have also seemed eager to take tight ends from the Rams. Lance Kendricks was a standout at Wisconsin in college and previously played for the Rams, the same team Cook came from. Now Aaron Rodgers has a depth chart at the tight end position of Martellus Bennett, Lance Kendricks, and Richard Rodgers. Each one of these guys has a massive body build, creating big targets. These three will also help Rodgers spread the ball out even more. Bennett offers the most fantasy upside, while Kendricks and Rodgers will help increase the value of Aaron Rodgers.

While Christine Michael and Ty Montgomery represent two viable options for the running back position, it is still possible the Packers use a high draft pick on a running back. The two names that keep coming up are Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook. Both backs are explosive in their own right, but McCaffrey would be a better fit in the Packers’ offense, as his game models that of a Darren Sproles or Danny Woodhead. McCaffrey would bring a dynamic to the offense that hasn’t been seen in quite some time.

McCaffrey holds more fantasy value than Cook would, despite Cook being regarded as the more talented prospect. If the team opts for an offensive lineman in the first round, it would increase Aaron Rodgers’ fantasy value, and it would bolster the value of the two backs on the current roster.

Pay attention to the Packers’ draft. We know that late-round running backs can pay dividends for a team. A speculative add would be to pick up any running back the Packers add, as their offense looks like it will flourish as long as it remains healthy in the upcoming season.