Packers breakout star: Ty Montgomery will take the running game to new heights

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Ty Montgomery is exactly what the Green Bay Packers need on offense.

Last year, Montgomery took over at running back the second half of the year because Eddie Lacy and James Starks were out with injuries. He finished the season with 457 rushing yards on 77 carries and three touchdowns, and his best game came against the Chicago Bears in Week 15, when he tallied 162 rushing yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

Montgomery comes into the 2017 season as the No. 1 running back, which is a little unusual considering he has played wide receiver in 2015 and half of 2016. And because of that, experts are unsure how effective Montgomery will be in his first full season at running back.

Yes, Montgomery is learning the position, and yes, he still has to lot to prove. But what he was able to do in 2016 was no fluke and he should only be better in 2017.

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In fact, when looking back at Montgomery playing running back in 2016, the Packers were better on offense than when any other running back started.

Here's a quick look at the Packers stats when Montgomery was the starter:

Record: 5-1
Points per game: 37.8
Rush yards per game: 145.7
Yard per carry: 5.1

And here's a look at the Packers offense when Montgomery was not the starter:

Record: 6-4
Points per game: 31.3
Rush yards per game: 105.4
Yards per carry: 4.2

The Packers offense is one of the best in the NFL. But the running game needs to be better after finishing 20th in the NFL in rush offense in 2016. And as much as the Packers loved Lacy and Starks, they knew they needed a change, which is why Montgomery is the starter. Three rookies -- Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones and Devante Mays -- will see their share of action as well.

SportsLine projects Montgomery to rack up more than 1,100 yards of total offense while splitting carries with Williams, and if he turns out to be as effective as these projections suggest, we can likely pencil him in for more than the 199 touches listed here:

	RuAtt	RuYd	RuAvg	RuTD	Recpt	ReYd	ReAvg	ReTD	FP*
Ty Montgomery	148	764	5.2	6	51	377	7.4	1	155
Jamaal Williams	143	692	4.8	4	19	144	7.5	1	108

*Fantasy points

That said, the Packers' focus on offense will be the passing game, because they don't want to take the ball away from Aaron Rodgers. But what makes Montgomery even more dangerous as a running back is he can be an effective receiver, recording 44 receptions for 348 yards last season. So as dangerous Rodgers is when he has the ball in his hands, opposing defenses are not looking forward to trying to stop the Packers' new running back in 2017.