MarShawn Lloyd was a popular sleeper in fantasy football drafts last season. Josh Jacobs was a veteran changing teams, and the Green Bay Packers used Day 2 draft capital on Lloyd. Unfortunately, the rookie was never able to get going as he couldn’t stay on the field. Now finally healthy, does Lloyd offer fantasy upside as a late-round dart throw?
MarShawn Lloyd Fantasy Outlook
Typically, once a player enters the NFL, we prioritize his professional performance over college work. We can’t exactly do that with Lloyd because we have so little to analyze.
Lloyd played in exactly one game as a rookie, carrying the ball six times for 15 yards and catching one pass for three yards. There’s just nothing to glean from seven touches.
Just reminder of the kind of RB Marshawn Lloyd is
pic.twitter.com/rXK7SsIXON— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) June 21, 2025
The major problem for Lloyd was a series of poorly timed injuries, one after the other, that prevented him from ever getting going. Lloyd dealt with a preseason hamstring strain. He sprained his ankle in his lone game back. Then, he came down with appendicitis when getting ready to return, which wound up ending his season.
Marshawn Lloyd went to the same facility Christian Watson went to this offseason for soft tissue injuries
Watson missed 11 games from hamstring issues in 2022 and 2023. After visiting the facility he missed 0 games in 2024 due to hamstring issues pic.twitter.com/yszmri9GoA
— Chris Wecht (@ChrisWechtFF) June 19, 2025
While Lloyd was out, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks held their own as the backs behind Josh Jacobs. But what really happened was the Packers went run-heavy and fed Jacobs 301 carries. It’s safe to assume they want Lloyd to be good enough to take some of the pressure off of Jacobs, who posted an impressive 17.2 fantasy points per game last season.
A confluence of factors led to the Packers being the most run-heavy team in the league last season. Despite not having a rushing quarterback in the mold of Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts, the Packers led the NFL in neutral game script run rate at 53%. If they lean on the run again, there could be enough work for Lloyd to have some standalone value, plus the contingent upside in the event of a Jacobs injury.
What would benefit Lloyd is if he could develop into an asset as a pass catcher. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much of it in college, with just 31 receptions across his final 20 collegiate games.
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Ultimately, Lloyd is another name near that bucket of handcuff running backs with similar ADPs. However, I have him buried at RB65.
In the wake of him sustaining yet another injury at training camp, I’ve seen enough. There are plenty of handcuffs with similar upside who don’t have five different injuries to their name in less than one calendar year. He’s coming off the board around RB61, but I’m out.
Dan Fornek’s MarShawn Lloyd Fantasy Projection
MarShawn Lloyd was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft to serve as a complement to free agent Josh Jacobs in the backfield. Lloyd averaged 8.2 yards per touch (129 touches) during his final season at USC and offered speed (4.46 40-yard dash) that Jacobs could not.
Unfortunately, the rookie was limited to just 10 snaps during his rookie season due to a hamstring injury and an ankle injury. He had just six carries for 15 yards and one reception for three yards on the season.
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The Packers avoided making any major additions to their backfield, signaling a belief that Lloyd’s explosiveness could still be a factor for them in 2025. Lloyd reportedly looked healthy and explosive throughout minicamp and OTAs, supporting that belief. Unfortunately, he suffered a groin injury early in training camp that is expected to sideline him for weeks.
Every rep was essential for Lloyd in his second season after essentially taking a redshirt year as a rookie. The groin injury is just another soft tissue issue that is going to cost the second-year player valuable time building trust in the offense. If he returns to practice before the end of camp, he is still an interesting flier to take in the final round of fantasy drafts in case Jacobs gets hurt.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to trust his health until he proves he can stay on the field.
