2015 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Green Bay Packers
For your fantasy football draft prep and advice, continue to check on this page for updates regarding the Green Bay Packers.
Team Outlook:
This is an absolute fantasy goldmine. It seems crazy, but the Packers arguably have the top quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and running back (Eddie Lacy) in fantasy, along with two top-10 receivers (Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb). If you want exposure to the big players in the league's most dynamic offense, be prepared to pick these guys early, as they won't last on draft boards long.
Bye Week: 7
Rookie Impacts: Ty Montgomery (WR)
It's tough sledding for any rookie to make an impact with all the established stars, but the rookie receiver from Stanford is worth monitoring if any of the Packers wideouts miss significant time. The fact that the Packers spent a third-round pick on Montgomery, despite their depth at the position, would seem to indicate they believe in his talent. Just leave him on your watch list for now.
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers was brilliant once again last year, throwing 38 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions on the season. His efficiency is always the main pull, as the Packers will likely once again opt for more balance than a lot of other teams do. Considering the weapons he's surrounded with, though, Rodgers can once again notch south of 550 attempts and still easily end up as the top scoring quarterback. He's one of the most dependable players in all of fantasy.
Running back: Eddie Lacy
Le'Veon Bell's suspension and all of Adrian Peterson's miles seem to open the doors for Eddie Lacy as a frontrunner to be the first pick in the draft. Lacy is a powerful runner who is going to make good on a high percentage of his goalline chances (13 total TD last year), and there will be a bunch of them in this offense. Add in his solid receiving skills, and Lacy is one of the true trustworthy three-down backs still out there in the land of RBBC.
Running back: James Starks
Only the bravest of souls will decide not to burn a pick on their first-round pick's handcuff, especially when it's a late one like this. We know that if Lacy goes down, Starks is competent enough to receive some chances to score, and that alone makes him a worthy late-round pick.
Wide receiver: Jordy Nelson
Nelson's offseason surgery is undoubtedly a concern, as is the fact he's coming off what might be an unsustainable career-year in receptions (98), receiving yards (1,519) and touchdowns (13). Some regression seems likely, but don't let him slip out of the top-10 receivers. He's clearly established himself as Aaron Rodgers' favorite downfield target.
Wide receiver: Randall Cobb
Cobb had a breakout season last year, putting up a 91/1,287/12 line while finishing as fantasy's No. 7 WR. Some will still be scared away by the notion of having two No. 1 receivers on the same team, but Cobb's ability to run underneath routes and do damage after the catch should keep his receptions and yards at a healthy number, even if the touchdowns naturally decline a bit. Like the rest of the Packers offense, you can feel safe taking him early and banking on solid production. In PPR, lean Cobb. In standard, lean Nelson.
Wide receiver: Davante Adams
Adams seems like a candidate to shoot up draft boards during the preseason, as the hype train is already chugging along in July. Green Bay will run a lot of three WR sets, but there are still a lot of mouths to feed in this offsense. The upside is somewhat limited unless an injury occurs, but if one does, watch out. He's worth drafting in the middle rounds and hoping he catches Rodgers' eyes.
Tight end: Andrew Quarless
The days of Jermichal Finley's fantasy production may trick you into looking at Green Bay's starting tight-end, but that's not a path to go down. Quarless is more of a blocker than anything else and may end up splitting more time than usual this season. Despite the offense he plays in, he's off the fantasy radar.
Placekicker: Mason Crosby
Crosby has hit nine attempts beyond 50 yards over the last two seasons, so he has some power in his leg. He'll rack up extra points at a high rate, as well, which makes him a safe choice to draft. Just be ready to move on later in the season if the weather gets ugly.
Team defense (D/ST): When it comes to fantasy defenses, it's usually more about matchups than anything else. The Packers are a good choice in Week 1 against the Bears and interception happy Jay Cutler, but with Seattle visiting in Week 2, you can probably safely dump them afterwards. The secondary should get some picks, but it's easier to predict bad offense than it is good defense.
For more fantasy team previews, visit our Team Preview Hub.
