James Starks Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

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.

Both players are in the concussion protocol. Neither are expected to be cleared for their game against the Giants this Sunday, although they haven't been ruled out. Ty Montgomery is expected to start at running back again but Aaron Ripkowski out-snapped him 36-35 - Montgomery only played 47% of Green Bay's offensive snaps - and out-gained him 76 to 61 in Week 17. He also scored a touchdown while Montgomery did not. Since having what many considered to be a breakout game against the Bears in Week 15 when he gained 163 yards on 18 touches and scored twice, Montgomery has averaged 12 touches per game. He has a tough matchup this weekend against a Giants defense that ranks 3rd in rush DVOA and 3rd in receiving running back DVOA. With an insecure workload in a bad spot, Montgomery will have a low floor. However, on a small slate, he still projects as our RB4 and will be a (risky) tournament option. He's definitely a better play on DraftKings due to his skills as a receiver and more favorable price tag, but buyer beware. Rollins absence would be another blow to a decimated secondary. Green Bay has even promoted Herb Waters, who was cut from the team as a receiver earlier this season, from the practice squad for depth at cornerback. Green Bay allowed the most FanDuel points (second-most DraftKings points) per game to wide receivers in 2016. Rollins primarily mans the slot when three or more receivers are in - and the Giants used at least three receivers for a league-high 97% of pass plays (per Mike Clay) - so if he can't go it'll be a nice upgrade for Sterling Shepard who runs 86% of his routes out of the slot.

Cobb(ankle) is going to push to play despite missing practice all week. He's not a viable fantasy option as it seems like he'll be limited if he plays. Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams will pick up some extra looks against Detroit's 32nd-ranked pass defense. Nelson projects as our WR2 this week. Ty Montgomery will continue to lead the backfield, while Christine Michael will take some snaps from him. Detroit ranks 22nd against the rush and 29th against receiving running backs, which sets up a nice spot for Montgomery. He projects as our RB13 on DraftKings.

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.

Ty Montgomery will get another start Saturday against the Vikings. He had a huge game last week, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He'll have a tougher matchup today, as Chicago ranked 27th in rush DVOA and Minnesota ranks 16th. The Packers are currently 7-point favorites, which sets up a nice game script for Montgomery. While we can't expect a repeat performance, he should see another large workload in a decent matchup. Unfortunately, he no longer has wide receiver eligibility on DraftKings and they raised his price quite a bit. However, given his receiving skills, he has a pretty high ceiling on the full PPR site.

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.

The Packers have listed Starks as doubtful for their game against the Bears this week. Ty Montgomery should get the bulk of the RB work with Christine Michael (listed as questionable) spelling him. Montgomery could have sneaky GPP potential in a game that is expected to be hampered by frigid temperatures.

Starks was in a car accident and while fortunately is ok he did suffer a concussion and is in the league protocol. He is questionable for this week. He'd already slid down the depth chart behind Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael so the impact is minimal - it does bode well, however, for Montgomery who has seen his role increase the past few weeks and could be in line for a surprising day against the Bears in extremely cold weather this weekend.

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.