The Green Bay Packers made one thing clear on Sunday in their opener against the San Francisco 49ers: Eddie Lacy is their starting running back. Lacy, a rookie second-round pick, was named the starter after DuJuan Harris went down with an injury, but drew a tough out by having the 49ers as his regular season welcome committee.
Lacy did manage a touchdown on Sunday, however. He notched Green Bay's third touchdown of the game, to give his team the lead in the fourth quarter when he hopped over the pile and extended the ball at the goal line. Unfortunately for the Packers, the 49ers ultimately came back to put the game away with another touchdown and a field goal.
Either way, it was somewhat surprising to see the Packers as dedicated to the run as they were. The 49ers were always considered a tough out, and a team that one should not spend too much time running against, but Lacy still carried the ball 14 times. He only managed 41 yards, meaning a per-carry average of 2.9 yards, but the Packers were committed and that's important.
Fantasy Impact: Heading into the preseason, the Packers' running back situation was a mess, at least from a fantasy standpoint. Nobody knew who to draft and how the carries would be distributed. But the rawness of rookie Johnathan Franklin coupled with Harris' injury seals things for Lacy: he's the feature back. He didn't have a good game on Sunday, but he remains a possible candidate to possibly break out and make things happen later in the season.
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