Week 14 NFL Advanced Analytics Superstars

Running Back: James Starks

James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers
11 Rushes, 71 Yards, 1 Touchdown
4 Receptions, 32 Yards, 4 Targets, 1 Touchdown
NEP: +8.83

James Starks and the Packers ran all over the Dallas Cowboys this week, putting up a team total of 230 rushing yards and coming out with a 28-7 victory in Lambeau.

Starks continues to excel in both the running and passing game this season. He was able to pick up 71 rushing yards on just 11 carries with an additional 32 yards on his 4 receptions. Scoring once on the ground and through the air, Starks now leads all Green Bay running backs in total touchdowns.

Despite the coaching staff's desire to get Eddie Lacy involved more on the offense -- Lacy ended up seeing 24 rushing attempts, a season-high number -- they still found a way to get Starks touches. Essentially icing the game, Starks took a fourth-quarter carry 30 yards to the house following some great downfield blocking by Randall Cobb. That put the Packers up 21-7 with less than five minutes to go in the game. He also made a terrific 13-yard receiving touchdown play, catching a swing pass on 3rd-and-4 from the Dallas 13-yard line and following his downfield lineman for the first score of the game.

Starks' +8.83 NEP led all running backs this week as his receiving and rushing scores both positively contributed significantly to Green Bay's win. Despite not seeing starter snaps for the entire season, he still ranks as a top-24 running back in terms of our Total NEP metric, which factors in both rushing and receiving. He ended up scoring 26.3 PPR fantasy points this week, finishing as the third-best running back in Week 14.

The rest of this week's top performers were led by Todd Gurley, who had a great day following a shake up on the coaching staff. The rookie finished the day rushing for 140 yards and scoring twice. Lamar Miller was poised for another big outing before the coaching staff inexplicably removed him from the game and limited him to just 12 rushing attempts. The Browns gave Isaiah Crowell a career-high 20 carries this week, and he was able to set career marks with 145 rushing yards and 2 scores against the 49ers. Even with Starks' performance, Lacy had a great game against Dallas , rushing for 124 yards and a score while posting a +6.80 NEP.

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