The NFL regular season is 48 hours away, which means football fans and fantasy managers are paying extra close attention to various injuries around the league. What’s the latest on Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd and will he be healthy for Week 1?
The Latest on MarShawn Lloyd’s Health
The Packers’ rookie third-rounder missed OTAs and the start of training camp with a hip issue. After returning, he was quickly sidelined again, straining his hamstring in the first preseason game.
Lloyd returned to practice this week and “had two good days,” according to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. While Lloyd didn’t practice on Tuesday, LaFleur said it wasn’t a setback and that they simply gave him the day off as part of his recovery.
With Lloyd practicing again, it seems likely that Lloyd will be able to play in the Packers’ Week 1 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.
While there were some reports that Lloyd was behind A.J. Dillon on the depth chart, Dillon recently suffered a season-ending injury, which means Lloyd will immediately step into the RB2 role for the Packers.
MarShawn Lloyd’s Fantasy Outlook
The main reason fantasy managers are drafting Lloyd is for his contingent upside. If Josh Jacobs gets hurt, Lloyd will be the next man up. He would certainly be fantasy-relevant.
There’s also the matter of Jacobs’ recent performance. Although the Packers gave Jacobs a nice contract, if he doesn’t perform well, I fully expect them to see what Lloyd has to offer.
Jacobs averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season and was woefully inefficient. Sure, the Las Vegas Raiders offense was bad, but Zamir White was more effective in his four games as a starter under the same conditions. What if Jacobs just isn’t that good?
MORE: PFN’s Consensus 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
The median outcome in projections for Lloyd doesn’t indicate a player who will matter in fantasy. However, circumstances change and can change quickly. Lloyd’s RB48 ADP is very palatable.
Although I wouldn’t call Lloyd someone I’m aggressively targeting, I certainly want to get him on a couple of teams.
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