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By Patrick Daugherty6 hours agoRotoworld
As we enter the season’s stretch run, just nine running backs are averaging more weekly fantasy points than Zac Stacy. Alfred Morris, Chris Johnson and Stevan Ridley are a few of the names behind Stacy. The numbers are even more impressive when you quarantine them to the past five five weeks, where Stacy’s weekly 17.6 points are behind only Matt Forte and CJ?K. Since taking over as the Rams’ lead back in Week 5, Stacy is averaging 21 carries for 88.8 yards, and has four total touchdowns in six games.
How did we get here?
It wasn’t easy. Despite being a favorite of the draftnik community, Stacy was No. 4 on the depth chart by Week 2. A healthy scratch for Weeks 2 and 3, Stacy finished the first month of his NFL career with exactly one carry. But as Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead and Benny Cunningham all struggled, the Rams found themselves in a “well, why not?” situation by Week 5. When Sam Bradford went down in Week 7, Stacy was elevated from “de facto back” to “focal point of the offense.” Since Bradford’s injury, Stacy has taken the rock 79 times for 323 yards and two scores in three games. He’s averaged “just” 4.1 yards per carry since taking the keys to the car from Bradford, but those numbers are skewed by the Rams’ 38-8 Week 10 rout of the Colts. With St. Louis racing out to a 21-0 lead just four minutes into the second quarter, Stacy was slammed into a brick wall in predictable running situations 20 times over the game’s final 41 minutes.
Why has Stacy had so much success? Because he carries himself like a runner who expects it. Stacy is extremely decisive, typically making his first cut before the hole is even opened, and then hitting it as soon as it does. Stacy is not the speediest guy — he doesn’t look as fast as even his 4.55 40-yard dash would suggest — but makes up for it with lightning quick feet. Stacy knows he can’t simply explode into the second level of the defense, so instead he ping pongs his way into it with a series of quick cuts. As we’ve established, Stacy lacks the home run speed to pull away from the second level — his longest run this season is all of 32 yards — but he runs with a toughness and forward lean befitting of his 5-foot-8, 216-pound frame. He uses his size and exceptional balance to create missed tackles, 22 in six games by Pro Football Focus’ count. That’s 3.6 per game, which is on par with LeSean McCoy (3.6) and Alfred Morris (3.4).
Now Stacy gets a Bears defense that’s been getting positively eaten alive by opposing running backs over its past seven games, silver plattering 1,053 yards (150 per game) and 10 touchdowns. This is a unit that made Ray Rice look like Ray Rice last weekend. It all adds up to a No. 4 Week 12 ranking for a player who didn’t even have a job when the Bears’ cold streak began.
In the end, Stacy is unlikely to emerge as one of the league’s elite runners. That’s typically the case for backs who lack truly special qualities. But Stacy is a smart, decisive runner who knows his limitations. His run of success has been unexpected, but hardly a fluke. He’s a player who can produce in good and bad matchups alike, and has a dream one for Week 12.
As we enter the season’s stretch run, just nine running backs are averaging more weekly fantasy points than Zac Stacy. Alfred Morris, Chris Johnson and Stevan Ridley are a few of the names behind Stacy. The numbers are even more impressive when you quarantine them to the past five five weeks, where Stacy’s weekly 17.6 points are behind only Matt Forte and CJ?K. Since taking over as the Rams’ lead back in Week 5, Stacy is averaging 21 carries for 88.8 yards, and has four total touchdowns in six games.
How did we get here?
It wasn’t easy. Despite being a favorite of the draftnik community, Stacy was No. 4 on the depth chart by Week 2. A healthy scratch for Weeks 2 and 3, Stacy finished the first month of his NFL career with exactly one carry. But as Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead and Benny Cunningham all struggled, the Rams found themselves in a “well, why not?” situation by Week 5. When Sam Bradford went down in Week 7, Stacy was elevated from “de facto back” to “focal point of the offense.” Since Bradford’s injury, Stacy has taken the rock 79 times for 323 yards and two scores in three games. He’s averaged “just” 4.1 yards per carry since taking the keys to the car from Bradford, but those numbers are skewed by the Rams’ 38-8 Week 10 rout of the Colts. With St. Louis racing out to a 21-0 lead just four minutes into the second quarter, Stacy was slammed into a brick wall in predictable running situations 20 times over the game’s final 41 minutes.
Why has Stacy had so much success? Because he carries himself like a runner who expects it. Stacy is extremely decisive, typically making his first cut before the hole is even opened, and then hitting it as soon as it does. Stacy is not the speediest guy — he doesn’t look as fast as even his 4.55 40-yard dash would suggest — but makes up for it with lightning quick feet. Stacy knows he can’t simply explode into the second level of the defense, so instead he ping pongs his way into it with a series of quick cuts. As we’ve established, Stacy lacks the home run speed to pull away from the second level — his longest run this season is all of 32 yards — but he runs with a toughness and forward lean befitting of his 5-foot-8, 216-pound frame. He uses his size and exceptional balance to create missed tackles, 22 in six games by Pro Football Focus’ count. That’s 3.6 per game, which is on par with LeSean McCoy (3.6) and Alfred Morris (3.4).
Now Stacy gets a Bears defense that’s been getting positively eaten alive by opposing running backs over its past seven games, silver plattering 1,053 yards (150 per game) and 10 touchdowns. This is a unit that made Ray Rice look like Ray Rice last weekend. It all adds up to a No. 4 Week 12 ranking for a player who didn’t even have a job when the Bears’ cold streak began.
In the end, Stacy is unlikely to emerge as one of the league’s elite runners. That’s typically the case for backs who lack truly special qualities. But Stacy is a smart, decisive runner who knows his limitations. His run of success has been unexpected, but hardly a fluke. He’s a player who can produce in good and bad matchups alike, and has a dream one for Week 12.
