Summer is the season for dynasty trades. Fantasy managers are tweaking their lineups, trying to push their chips to the middle to make a championship run, or moving veterans to add young pieces or draft picks to build for the future.
Throughout the summer, we will break down names that frequently appear on PFSN’s Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer to better understand the pieces that dynasty managers are looking to buy or sell. Today, we will break down Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs, a popular acquisition in offseason moves.
PFSN Trade Analyzer Users Overwhelmingly Want To Acquire Josh Jacobs
Since May 1, 61.4% of trades involving Jacobs have seen PFSN’s Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer users acquire the Packers running back, the fifth-highest percentage of any player in the analyzer.
It isn’t surprising after the season Jacobs had in his first year with Green Bay. Jacobs dominated touches out of the backfield, carrying the ball 301 times for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 36 receptions (on 43 targets) for 342 yards and a receiving score.
The veteran running back finished as the RB8 in PPR points per game (17.2). It was the second time Jacobs scored more than 17.0 points per game in a season. Jacobs also averaged a career-high 0.89 PPR points per touch, a 30.9% increase from his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jacobs turned 27 in February and is under contract for the next two seasons. The only other running back Green Bay invested draft capital in is MarShawn Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick who missed nearly his entire first season (aside from 10 snaps) with various injuries.
Jacobs is set to lead the Packers’ backfield again in 2025. If he can repeat (or improve) his snap share from 2024, he will dominate again in fantasy next season.
Should You Trade for Jacobs?
There were a lot of positives in Jacobs’ 2024 fantasy season. However, trading for him now only awards fantasy points in the future, not the points he earned in 2024, and there are some risks to acquiring Jacobs in the future.
Jacobs’ fantasy production in 2024 was tied to his role in the end zone. Jacobs had 39 carries inside the 10-yard line in 2024, six more than any other player. He turned 13 of those carries into touchdowns.
Josh Jacobs doing what he does best.
TOUCHDOWN!#GBvsMIN pic.twitter.com/VrCRORcCBC
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 29, 2024
Touchdown production typically isn’t consistent year over year, so it is concerning that his elevated touchdown total led him to have more expected fantasy points last season (15.6) than Jahmyr Gibbs (15.3), a player currently in the conversation for the 1.01 in 2025 fantasy drafts.
Additionally, there is concern regarding his wear and tear. Jacobs has suffered minor injuries throughout his career. In 2022, he had a career-high 393 touches for the Raiders. The following season, he suffered a quad injury and had just 270 touches in 13 games. In 2024, Jacobs logged 375 touches (including the playoffs).
Lloyd was drafted to be a change-of-pace back. The second-year running back adds an explosive element to the rushing attack and could be used as a receiver out of the backfield. According to minicamp reports, Lloyd was healthy and received glowing reviews from the coaching staff. Head coach Matt LaFleur has historically wanted to split his backfield, and Lloyd is a stylistically perfect complement to Jacobs.
Jacobs was a fantastic running back in fantasy football last season, but he finished as the RB8 in PPG based purely on rushing volume and touchdowns. Neither is a sure thing to repeat itself in 2025 and beyond.
Trading Jacobs now may be moving off of him a year too early, but it also could be the best chance dynasty managers have to get a premium draft pick (first- or early second-round pick) for an aging running back.
