Fantasy Impact: Grant Getting Carries

"Ryan Grant may not get more than 15 carries or 60 yards the rest of the year" - Anonymous.

OK, I was the one that wrote that. This was after Grant's unexpected 22 carry, 102 yard effort against the woeful Denver run defense.

The next week, against Kansas City, Grant carried 19 times for 55 yards. More carries than I expected, but the yardage came out as expected. I was able to successfully ignore the fact that he added 37 yards on 4 receptions.

Yesterday, Grant had 25 carries for 119 yards against the best run defense in the league. And he added 20 yards on 5 receptions. It wasn't all rainbows and skittles; however, as Grant averaged 9.2 yards on his first 10 touches in the first quarter and only 2.35 yards on 20 touches afterwards. But based on the number of carries he is getting, this is a guy we can no longer ignore.

Before the Denver game, Green Bay's stable of mediocre running backs averaged 24.5 touches per game. Since, they have averaged 32 touches per game, with Grant being the main beneficiary. Part of it is that the Packers now have a guy that they feel comfortable with. However, they have made a conscience effort to run the ball more. Most of the runs are on draws and delays, as they are using their successful passing attack to set up the run.

So was I wrong? Is Grant really a good back? Of course not. But he is the right guy in the right place at the right time. He is getting the opportunity, and he appears to be the right fit for this offense. The Packers may decide to change their offensive stripes with regard to the commitment to the run for a game or two (see the Detroit Lions), but as long as the
Packers don't fall far behind (and with their defense, they won't often), they should continue to feed Grant. This change in opportunity make him one of the top 16 running backs in the league.