The NFL season is nearing its end. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 16 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Josh Jacobs did not practice all week due to injury. What is his current status and outlook for tonight’s game?
Is Josh Jacobs Playing Week 16?
Update: Jacobs is ACTIVE.
Jacobs suffered a knee contusion during the Packers’ Week 11 matchup against the New York Giants. The injury occurred on the second play of the game when Jacobs banged his knee at the end of a run. He played 10 more snaps before he dropped out because the knee quickly swelled up and he could not bend it.
This current issue is not a new injury. It is the same one that cost him Week 12 against the Vikings. Jacobs has played in three games since and looked no worse for wear, though he has been battling through it.
He returned for the Thanksgiving game against Detroit and rushed 17 times for 83 yards while catching his only target for eight yards. Against the Bears in Week 14, Jacobs played 71% of the snaps and handled 22 touches. Last week against Denver, he recorded 12 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns, along with three receptions for 19 yards.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 16 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
Jacobs aggravated the knee injury early in Sunday’s contest against the Broncos. He revealed that he re-injured his knee on the same toss play that resulted in tight end Josh Whyle suffering a concussion. Somehow, Jacobs managed to score both of his touchdowns after aggravating the injury.
Jacobs did not practice on Tuesday or Wednesday. He then failed to practice again on Thursday, meaning he did not log a single session all week. It is very rare for players to go DNP-DNP-DNP and still play.
The Packers are operating on a slightly short week ahead of Saturday night’s rematch against Chicago. The lack of practice time underscores how much this knee issue is bothering him. This is something Jacobs will have to manage for the remainder of the season rather than a problem that is going away.
Even so, Jacobs wants to play and has made that abundantly clear. He has said it hurts more to watch games than to play hurt. If the decision were entirely up to him, he would be out there trying to contribute.
This is truly an uncertain situaiton. Ian Rapoport has reported that Jacobs is expected to play. This aligns with both his history of gutting through injuries and head coach Matt LaFleur’s comments about Jacobs being as tough as they come. LaFleur noted that Jacobs should not be counted out from suiting up in Week 16.
On the other hand, Rob Demovsky said that Jacobs is more doubtful than questionable.
The reality is that Jacobs will be operating at well below 100% if he suits up. He has already aggravated the knee during games and continued to play through visible discomfort. An in-game aggravation is a very real risk in this spot.
Fantasy managers should tentatively expect Jacobs to suit up. However, they need to build in contingency plans and understand that there is both re-injury and possible in-game limitation risk.
Jacobs’ Fantasy Football Outlook
A slight level of panic was swirling around the fantasy group chats I’m a part of with Jacobs (knee) missing practice time during the week.
All of that stress was for nothing as Green Bay’s bellcow scored a pair of touchdowns and totaled 92 scrimmage yards against Denver. He had an ankle breaking 40-yard TD run and that wasn’t even the highlight of his afternoon.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
Jacobs’ impact as a pass catcher has been up-and-down, but his TD catch on Sunday will go on the season recap hype video for the Packers. He completed a contested play in the end zone from 14 yards out, leaving Tony Romo to praise his “Randy Moss hands”.
OK, that might be overdoing it, but you get the idea. He looked great physically and with the defense now in a pinch after Micah Parsons was lost for the season, look for Green Bay to try to ride #8 to a victory this week.
He’s averaging 19.3 touches per game in 2025 and I’d bet the “over” on that total in this spot in the oldest rivalry in the spot. Jacobs (86 yards and a TD in Week 14 against these Bears) is my RB9 for Week 16.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
