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The Green Bay Packers were supposed to be one of the few trustworthy fantasy offenses this season but inconsistencies have plagued fantasy owners with frustration and doubt. The Packers fantasy stars were all shockingly quiet on Sunday against a poor Oakland Raiders defense. This has led to the question of if you can trust Green Bay this week in the finals of the fantasy playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals.
Aaron Rodgers is the high profile name and was the most depressing star against Oakland. The Raiders lackluster passing defense held him to just 204 passing yards and two touchdown passes, with an interception. Are we at the point you can start the red hot Blake Bortles or another lesser name over Rodgers?
Well, Rodgers will be playing a very good Cardinals pass defense on the road and his split stats are much worse outside of Lambeau Field. All of Rodgers' numbers are lower on the road, including just an average of 221.1 passing yards per game in road games vs. 261.1 passing yards per game at home. Similar to Rodgers having to watch girlfriend Olivia Munn’s movies, you’re likely forced into a terrible situation of having to start him.
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Start Bortles or any of the other credible options over him, but that list is very small and you may have no other choice. The optimistic news is that Rodgers tends to have a low floor, other than last week, and higher ceiling so the risk is worth it.
The running back situation is significantly less hopeful. Eddie Lacy and James Starks are still splitting carries and that cancels both out as players you can trust. Arizona does a good job defending the run and neither man is staking claim to the majority of touches.
Lacy was trending upwards with a couple of great games but destroyed his stock with just 11 carries for 23 yards against Oakland. If he can’t step up against the Raiders, the Cardinals should be able to shut him down.
Starks is equally inconsistent and there’s no reason to have him in your lineup. You can’t trust either man and there are better realistic options out there like Tim Hightower or Bilal Powell.
Wide receivers in Green Bay are even more questionable than the quarterback or running back. Randall Cobb and James Jones are the top two receivers for the Packers and both men offer interesting value. There are inconsistencies, but both still have enough potential to make it worthwhile.
Ignore the name value, and Cobb should be placed on the bench due to his mediocre performances for the majority of the season. Since Week 3, Cobb has not put up 100 receiving yards in a single game and has only scored a total of two touchdowns.
Jones has a higher floor and lower ceiling as a true hit or miss option. If your team is the underdog, Jones may be a good play as a risky x-factor that could be the player that steals you a victory, but don't bench anyone trustworthy in favor of him.
