Christine Michael Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Michael was added to the injury report yesterday. He isn't expected to be too much of a factor today as he seems to have slipped behind Aaron Ripkowski in the depth chart. Michael only played four offensive snaps last weekend and didn't earn a touch. Ty Montgomery should get the bulk of the backfield work against Atlanta's 25th-ranked defensive line. He earned three red zone touches agaisnt the Cowboys, two of them going for touchdowns. Both of his scores were at the goal line, which is a sign that Green Bay will stick with him over the bigger Ripkowski when they're near the end zone.

Michael only played four offensive snaps last week and didn't earn a single touch. He must have gotten hurt in practice to be added this late, but he won't be much of a factor on Sunday if he plays. Green Bay's backfield is firmly Ty Montgomery's, who played 78% of the offensive snaps last week. It seems his true backup is Aaron Ripkowski, who played 31% of the offensive snaps against the Cowboys and picked up four carries for 24 yards in the process. Although Ripkowski had taken some goal line work (and touchdowns) from Montgomery in previous weeks, he didn't have a touch inside the 20-yard line in Dallas. Montgomery had three total touches in the red zone and scored two touchdowns inside the 3-yard line, which is an encouraging sign for his fantasy prospects in Atlanta. TyMont has become increasingly involved in the passing game - he caught six of seven targets for 34 yards against the Cowboys - and Atlanta is very poor at defending receiving running backs. They've allowed the most receptions (6.59), 2nd-most receiving yards (52.76), and 2nd-most receiving touchdowns (0.35) per game to the position. Montgomery is in a great spot, especially for full PPR scoring.

Janis is somewhat of a cult hero for a limited number of people on DFS twitter, but the reality is he's had three total receptions since catching all four targets for 30 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 against the Falcons. He filled in for an injured Randall Cobb that game but has since moved behind Geronimo Allison on the depth chart. It's likely Janis picks up some extra snaps if Jordy Nelson (ribs) can't play, but it's doubtful he can produce anything useful for fantasy. He's currently our second-lowest projected player on the slate. Starks hasn't made any progress since suffering a concussion, he's not expected to play this weekend. Green Bay will continue to start Ty Montgomery and use Christine Michael as a change-of-pace back and Aaron Ripkowski in short-yardage situations. Ripkowski has scored a touchdown in consecutive games and is a legitimate threat to Montgomery's touchdown expectation. Green Bay only gave Ripkowski two carries last week, but that was enough for him to vulture a one-yard score.

Cobb will need to get back to practice tomorrow to play on Sunday, and it seems doubtful that will happen. Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are both nice fantasy options in Week 17. Lions DB Darius Slay should be back in the lineup but he'll likely be playing at less than 100%. Nelson is coming off a big 9/154/2 game and projects as our WR2. Starks, who's still in the concussion protocol, also appears doutbful. Christine Michael returned to practice after sitting out on Wednesday. Although the Packers have said they want to get him more involved, they haven't done so yet. Ty Montgomery should lead the backfield in touches against Detroit's 22nd-ranked rush defense.

Starks is still in concussion protocol and it doesn't look like he'll play this weekend. Christine Michael (undisclosed) was expected to be more involved in Week 16 but ended up playing 24% of the offensive snaps. He was out-touched by Ty Montgomery 13 to 5. Montgomery should lead the duo again this Sunday against the Lions, who rank 22nd in rush DVOA.

James Starks (concussion) has been ruled out, paving the way for Montgomery to start for the Packers when they take on the Bears Sunday. Christine Michael will back him up, and will definitely get some touches, but Montgomery will lead the duo in volume. Montgomery, who is now officially considered a running back by Green Bay, has wide receiver eligibility on DraftKings, which means four running backs can be rostered on the site. On FanDuel, he's a running back and only costs $5k, just $500 above the minimum. He played well last week, going for 86 total yards and a touchdown on 12 touches. While it will be very cold in Chicago (high of 6 degrees), it shouldn't impact his fantasy performance. Instead, it will likely depress his ownership, which makes him a very interesting tournament option. Montgomery projects as our seventh best points-per-dollar running back on FD.

Starks suffered a concussion in a car accident Monday. He didn't make enough progress during the week and he didn't travel with the team to Chicago. Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael will share running back duties, although Montgomery should start and lead the duo in touches. He had 12 touches last week, his most since Week 6, for 86 yards and a touchdown. Michael had ten rushes but wasn't involved in the passing game at all. Given his background as a receiver, Montgomery should take most, if not all, of the passing down work. Chicago ranks 14th in pass DVOA and 20th against the rush, which makes for a pretty good spot to target Montgomery in tournaments, considering his price. Fortunately, prices came out prior to Starks' injury.

It's not clear why Starks missed practice yet. He's technically listed as Green Bay's starting running back, but Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael should out-snap and out-touch him the rest of the season. Montgomery led the trio with 12 touches for 86 yards and a touchdown this past weekend. We'll keep an eye on Starks' situation.

Coach Mike McCarthy very clearly stated that Montgomery is a running back, adding that he hasn't been to a wide receiver meeting in a very long time. Up until today, he was still listed as a wide receiver on the "unofficial" depth chart their PR department puts together. Montgomery had been pretty quiet in recent weeks, but put together a nice game against the Seahawks. He had 12 touches (the most he's had since Week 7), 86 yards, and a touchdown in their 38-10 win. James Starks is technically listed as the starter, but he only had two touches against Seattle. Montgomery also out-touched their third-string back, Christine Michael, who rushed 10 times for 36 yards. Montgomery and Michael are both better than James Starks and they should continue to lead Green Bay's backfield down the stretch. With Montgomery's receiving skills, he's the safest bet of the two in fantasy, but he's still better used in tournaments, if anything. The Packers visit the Bears in Week 15 as 6.5-point favorites. Chicago ranks 15th in pass DVOA and 21st against the pass.

Coach Mike McCarthy said he wants Michael to be part of the offense this week. It's not yet clear how big his role will be against the Eagles; it will depend on how he performs in practice. Despite Philadelphia ranking 11th in rush DVOA heading into Week 11, Seattle rushed for 152 yards as a team on 30 attempts. We'll learn more about Michael's expected workload later in the week.