Latest on Josh Jacobs and Fantasy Football Potential for Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd & Packers
Josh Jacobs has been arrested. The latest on what to expect going forward and what it means for fantasy football.
The running back news in the NFL keeps coming, as Packers All-Pro RB Josh Jacobs has found himself in legal trouble.
This has massive implications for fantasy football, as Jacobs currently sits as the RB13 in our consensus half-PPR fantasy football rankings. With little experienced depth behind him in the Packers’ backfield, the situation causes a good bit of ambiguity.
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Latest News On Josh Jacobs
It was reported on Tuesday evening (May 26) that Josh Jacobs was arrested on five separate charges. With the news so fresh, all we can do is speculate without tangible information about what’s going to happen next.
What we do know is that Jacobs showed slight regression last season relative to his first with the Packers.
2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| PPR Points Per Game | 17.2 | 15.0 |
| Positional Rank | RB6 | RB16 |
| Utilization Score | 77 | 74 |
Even so, the Packers remain a run-first unit, ranking 28th in dropback rate (58%), good for a -2% dropback rate over expected (22nd). Because Jacobs has been so durable through his first two seasons with the Packers—he’s only missed 2 of 34 games—we haven’t gotten much exposure to the pieces behind him.
That said, if Jacobs receives any length of discipline from the NFL, we’re going to get that exposure, and we want to be ahead of the game.
Fantasy Football Outlook For Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd & The Rest Of The Packers
With Emanuel Wilson out of the picture, the Packers are left with two players who haven’t seen much action.
Chris Brooks topped out at a 46% snap share last season (Week 18) and only had 7 games in which he even logged a carry. Currently sitting at RB87 in our rankings, he would likely see an astronomical jump in both ranking and projection (assuming the Packers wouldn’t bring anyone external in). His fantasy football ADP on Underdog is sure to start steaming, too. While it’s wise to get your shares, be wary of overpaying for someone with such little sample size to work off of.
And if you thought it was hard to get a read on Brooks, it might be even more difficult with MarShawn Lloyd (RB88). In his two full NFL seasons, he’s played in one game. Yes, one. 6 rushing attempts for 15 yards, that is Lloyd’s NFL resume, which is, somehow, shorter than his injury history (via DraftSharks).
Lloyd did have some promise coming into the NFL, as he was a steady riser during the pre-draft process who tested well at the NFL Combine, ending up as a third-round pick. In his final collegiate season, Lloyd ranked top-10 in the nation in yards per carry, elusive rush rate and breakaway rush percentage among all RBs with at least 50 rush attempts.
Lloyd feels like the clear upside bet in this backfield, but feels nearly impossible to trust. If anything, I feel like it’s far more likely the Packers bring someone in that isn’t currently on the roster if Jacobs ends up missing any time.
The biggest upgrade from Jacobs potentially missing any time would easily be Jordan Love, as the Packers would likely shift from a run-heavy team to a more balanced or pass-heavy team. This would, in turn, provide boosts to the pass catchers in Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden. It’s also important to remember Reed’s abilities out of the backfield. Should Jacobs miss time, it’s not out of the question that we see Reed take on more of a prime Deebo Samuel role in the offense.
Potential RB Targets For Packers In Trades & Free Agency
Again, nothing here is assumed, and everything is pure speculation. We have no clue what is going to happen with Jacobs, but if he were to miss time, I have a very hard time believing the Packers roll into 2026 with Brooks and Lloyd as their main backfield pieces. On top of the lack of depth at the position, Jacobs dead cap hit would only be $6.2M if the Packers chose to cut him, saving them over $8M of his $15.2M salary. Below are five names that could emerge as potential targets if it is reported that Green Bay is active in the RB market.
- Trey Benson/James Conner: These two seem like the obvious, as they’re now buried on the Cardinals’ depth chart behind newly acquired free agent Tyler Allgeier and rookie phenom Jeremiyah Love. Plus, the Jonathan Gannon connection in Green Bay could make this potential deal feel like low-hanging fruit for both teams.
- Alvin Kamara: While it’s been assumed that Kamara wants to play out his career in New Orleans, the team signing Travis Etienne in free agency and recent comments from the front office leave a lot of doubt in my mind that he’ll remain a Saint. For a Packers team that is already considered an NFC contender, Kamara could be a good win-now acquisition as he enters the sunset phase of his career.
- Isaac Guerendo: Seemingly out of the mix in San Francisco after they drafted Kaelon Black last month and with Jordan James remaining in town behind Christian McCaffrey, Guerendo could be a target to return to the state of Wisconsin after showing explosive upside in college with the Badgers.
- Najee Harris: Look, man. He’s a free-agent running back with multiple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. I never said all the options were pretty.
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