MarShawn Lloyd or Kaleb Johnson Start or Sit Advice for Week 3
The Packers have been known as a run-heavy offense over the last few seasons, and Josh Jacobs has been af fantasy star as a result. This year, Jacobs has been on the Commissioner’s Exempt List while dealing with leagal trouble, leaving a big workload available in the Packers’ backfield. Does all that potential work make either MarShawn Lloyd or Kaleb Johnson a starter in Week 3 against the Falcons? Let’s take a look at the latest on the situation.
In Week 1, the Packers used a combination of MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, with Kaleb Johnson not playing a single snap. Johnson was acquired at the very end of the preseason in a trade from the Steelers, so it makes sense that he would be brought along slowly. Lloyd got the preseason buzz as the first player who would get a chance to replace Jacobs, and he did get that chance. However, he struggled along with Brooks in a dud for the entire backfield, even though the team was ahead most of the game.
In Week 2, though, Lloyd got off to a better start, getting into the end zone on one of his two catches for six yards. He still didn’t get a ton done on the ground, totaling only 20 rushing yards on six carries. The bigger issue, though, was that Lloyd lost a costly fumble on the Packers’ first play of the fourth quarter. After that, he did not get a single touch.
Instead, Johnson did most of the work in the fourth quarter and got the start in overtime. He began the team’s game-winning drive with a tough 11-yard run and worked in tandem with Brooks to set up the walk-off field goal. After the game, coach Matt LeFleur talked in glowing terms about Johnson and said he could be more involved going forward.
Both Johnson and Lloyd played 27% of snaps in Week 2, and with Lloyd’s lack of effectiveness, the timeshare seems likely to shift away from him and towards Johnson. Brooks will also still be involved, and in fact, he played 46% of snaps in Week 2. However, he finished with four carries for 11 rushing yards and a 15-yard reception. He’ll likely continue to get a few touches, but Johnson or Lloyd seem like the more complete running backs who could get more regular work, especially in scoring situations.
Since Lloyd is possibly in the doghouse and has struggled in each of the first two games, he’s a very hard player to start in any format, until he shows more consistency. Holding him in deep leagues might still be worth it long-term, but you can probably start a better option in Week 3.
Start or Sit: Sit MarShawn Lloyd
Johnson is a better play than Lloyd since he brings a little more upside after his strong showing last week. He will still likely share time, but if the Packers play from ahead, there’s definitely a scenario in which he seizes the starting job on Thursday night and doesn’t look back until Jacobs returns. He’s extremely high-risk, but he could be a play that pays off in this favorable matchup in Atlanta.
