There is still competition for the St. Louis Rams' starting running back spot, based on comments from general manager Les Snead saying the team could use a "hot hand" approach for carries. However, running back coach Ben Sirmans said he "wouldn't be surprised" if running back Zac Stacy started against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Rams RB coach expects Zac Stacy to start for fantasy owners
Zac Stacy said he likes the competition for carries in the Rams’ offense. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Stacy said he likes how he’s going to have to compete for carries with the first-team offense.
”Football is a business built on competition,’’ Stacy said. In other words, he’s aware of the competition and it would appear it’s encouraging to him. Although, why wouldn’t it be?
He was a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft and blew away the competition last season. The Rams featured him and even gave him 33 touches in the penultimate game last season. While Benny Cunningham has looked great, Stacy is still expected to get most of the carries with the first team. Additionally, rookie Tre Mason has looked lost in the preseason, so it's clearly a two-horse race.
Fantasy impact: A couple weeks ago when quarterback Sam Bradford (knee) went down, it looked like the runway was cleared for takeoff with Stacy as a possible late first-round pick. That may still be the case, but fantasy owners are going to have to sweat it out a bit and have faith in their pick. The Rams saying there is a competition shouldn't be enough to dissuade owners from starting him vs. the Vikings. Keep him in your lineup as a top-10 play.
