2012 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Green Bay Packers Running Back James Starks

The Green Bay Packers contained one of the top offenses in 2011 after finishing 15-1 during the regular season–mainly because of a strong passing game that ranked third overall in the NFL by averaging 307.8 yards thanks to Aaron Rodgers. Now, the Packers hope one of their running backs can emerge as one of the top 2012 fantasy football sleepers for the upcoming season and boost a ground game that ranked 27th overall in 2011–James Starks.

Despite mixed reviews during training camp, expectations are high for Starks heading into the 2012 season as the third-year running back looks to take over the team’s starting role full time. Starks started two of the 13 games for Green Bay last season–recording 578 rushing yards and one touchdown while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Obviously–those numbers will need to be higher if Starks plans on being the team’s starter for the 2012 season.

From a fantasy perspective, Starks most likely won’t be a starter for most fantasy leagues, but he’s certainly worth a look for owners looking for a backup that could possibly turn out to be a breakout star. Starks will most likely fall in the later rounds of most fantasy leagues–so don’t expect him to be taken before the eighth or ninth round.

Of course, the type of numbers Starts produces in 2012 will heavily rely on whether or not the Packers decide to run the ball more. Green Bay proved to be a very pass-happy team last year and even though they have a stacked receiving core, this team is looking to run the ball more in 2012–which is why Starks is a tempting pick.