The Green Bay Packers fantasy preview has to start with a passing game that is trending up, but they also made a big move this offseason at the running back position in an effort to get younger.
Is this team ready to make a leap under Jordan Love, and how confident should fantasy football managers be in their skill position players?
Green Bay Packers Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Jordan Love, Sean Clifford, Michael Pratt
RB
Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, AJ Dillon
WR1
Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Samori Toure
WR2
Christian Watson, Bo Melton, Thyrick Pitts
WR3
Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath, Grant DuBose
TE
Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft
Jordan Love’s Fantasy Outlook
Have the Packers done it again? In his fourth NFL season, Jordan Love did more than prove capable of playing at this level, he proved capable of thriving.
- 4,159 passing yards (seventh most)
- 32 passing touchdowns (second, trailed only Dak Prescott)
Is the week-to-week upside elite? It’s not. He doesn’t have an alpha target earner, nor does he have a high-end rushing upside. That said, his floor profile is as stable as any QB outside of the elite, and that makes him a viable option as he continues to develop.
250 yards and 3️⃣ TDs for Jordan Love 🫡pic.twitter.com/Iofr5ZrvgY
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 23, 2023
Love enters the 2024 season having thrown multiple touchdown passes in six straight games (including the two playoff contests), and his receiving core should be better this season than last, given the youth. He also quietly had nine games with at least 20 rushing yards, another stabilizing force for his weekly value.
Add in the fact that the Packers drafted a versatile 311-pound offensive lineman in the first round (Jordan Morgan — 25th overall), and the bones are there for Love to continue to impress.
By investing in Love, you’re buying his 2024 production and projecting growth — not a bad spot to be in, especially in a division that is going to require plenty of scoring to keep up.
Josh Jacobs’ Fantasy Outlook
Green Bay brought in Josh Jacobs this offseason and inked him to a $48 million, four-year deal. We can discuss at a later date if a contract of that length to a player at this position with this résumé is wise, but he should be heavily featured to open the 2024 season without a ton of competition.
Of course, if you’re considering investing, you need a bounce-back season. After clearing 2,000 scrimmage yards in 2022, Jacobs averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per carry last year and was saddled with four DNPs.
READ MORE: Josh Jacobs’ Best Ball Fantasy Outlook
The Packers seemingly preferred Jacobs to Aaron Jones (now a Minnesota Viking) due to him being three years younger in human years, but they are roughly the same age in football years (Jacobs actually has 53 more regular season touches than Jones).
With the drafting of MarShawn Lloyd, the Jacobs move feels like a juice-the-orange situation where they will look to get their money’s worth on the front end of the contract. If that is the case, he’ll be a viable RB2 in all formats this season thanks to a bellcow role (217+ carries in every season of his career) and his versatility (3.2 catches per game since 2021).
AJ Dillon’s Fantasy Outlook
The Love pick in 2020 seems to be a home run, something that cannot be said about AJ Dillon. He was brought to Lambeau with the idea that his size would be a force and that, with development, he could be a bruising every-down back.
That hasn’t happened. He elected to return to the Packers despite having “several options” in free agency, but there isn’t a fantasy-friendly role awaiting him after he posted just 3.4 yards per carry last season.
His efficiency has dipped every season of his career, with the tape supporting these struggles. Dillon touched the rock 200 times last season and occasionally was on our radar — I’m not expecting anything close to that this season as long as Jacobs is on the field.
There are better dart throws in the late rounds at the running back position, including one on this roster.
Jayden Reed’s Fantasy Outlook
I’d argue that Jayden Reed’s showing in 2024 was every bit as impressive as the steps taken by Love. He was the 50th overall pick a year ago and developed as his rookie season wore on. When all was said and done, he finished with 793 receiving yards and eight scores. Reed was a YAC monster whom the Packers tried to give the ball in a variety of ways, a game plan that rarely happens for receivers of this age.
How desperate were they to get him the ball? After not using him out of the backfield early on, Green Bay explored exotic formations with him, handing him the ball 11 times for 119 yards and two scores (not to mention various sets where they put him in motion to shift defenses as they adjusted to the potential of a handoff).
Jordan loves Jayden! This is the seventh time this season the two have connected for a touchdown 📈pic.twitter.com/lnK3DPfI80
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 1, 2024
He’s not Deebo Samuel, but he might be a cheap version of that with room for plenty of growth. I love that Reed was able to earn at least eight targets in four of six games to round out the regular season, as the volume will be something he needs to prove worthy of in this talented offense.
I worry some that he earned a total of seven targets (35 receiving yards) through two playoff games when defenses keyed in on him, but that’s a minor nit to pick for a player acclimating to the pro game.
The WR position is as deep as ever across the NFL, and even with that being the case, I’m considering Reed a weekly starter in all fantasy formats.
Christian Watson’s Fantasy Outlook
The fact that Christian Watson is an effortless runner that makes getting behind defenses look easy puts him on our radar. That said, soft tissue issues cost him eight games last season, and that is the sort of injury that can render a burner almost useless.
Through two seasons, Watson is averaging 15 yards per catch and has scored once every 5.8 receptions. He’s efficient when he gets the ball, but the problem can be making that happen (58% catch rate and targets are only going to get more difficult to earn as Reed develops into a WR1).
The explosive potential is impossible to overlook (12-165-3 stat line over his final two regular season games), but so is the other side to that coin (2-20-0 postseason stat line last season).
Romeo Doubs’ Fantasy Outlook
The immediate production of Reed was a surprise, but his pedigree at least hinted that it was possible. Romeo Doubs, a fourth-round pick in 2022, didn’t enter last season with much in the way of expectations, but he produced in a big way (59-674-8).
Of course, he benefited from Watson’s injury problems and the development curve of Reed, but with everyone active in the playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys, Doubs posted a 6-151-1 stat line.
SHEESH 🎯
What a throw and catch from Jordan Love to Romeo Doubs#GoPackGo
pic.twitter.com/iMCJoUqtAj— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 24, 2023
If you want to get a cheap piece of this upward-trending offense, Doubs is a nice bet to make. He’s unlikely to be featured, barring injuries ahead of him, and the yardage floor is far too low to land him in the Flex conversation weekly (under 40 yards in 12 games last season). There will certainly be weeks where he is productive, and that makes him a fine DFS play and/or bye-week filler.
Luke Musgrave’s Fantasy Outlook
Injuries kept the game count in check (six DNPs), but the 2023 second-rounder was impressive when given the opportunity.
- 73.9% catch rate
- Five games with either 50 yards or a touchdown
If we could project an elite snap share, Luke Musgrave would threaten the backend of my TE1 rankings, but with Tucker Kraft (31-355-2) impressing during his rookie season, this is shaping up to be something of a tight end committee, making both of little interest in most formats.
An injury to Kraft would put Musgrave in top-12 discussions, and an injury to a receiver might well do that, too, if Green Bay were to adjust to two-TE formations — but until that happens, he need not be drafted.
Green Bay Packers Fantasy Sleeper
If I’m going to note the wear on the tires of Jacobs and the declining efficiency of Dillon, third-round rookie Lloyd (the fourth RB drafted) is deserving of a mention. He doesn’t profile as a lead back right away, but with splash-play potential in his profile, this is a name to store in the back of your head.
READ MORE: Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
Lloyd scored 20 times in 20 games over the past two seasons, and if he can carve out a niche role to keep Jacobs fresh, there’s a good chance that we’ll see some big plays. Maybe he can earn more touches with time — at the very least, he’s an interesting handcuff option in deeper formats.
As we look ahead to the 2024 fantasy football season, why not start preparing for your rookie drafts with our dynasty rookie rankings? Additionally, as you look to improve your team heading into 2024, our dynasty trade calculator can help you find the perfect deal to boost your championship chances.