MarShawn Lloyd or Kaleb Johnson: Fantasy Football Start or Sit Advice for Week 5

The Green Bay Packers are soldiering on without star running back Josh Jacobs, who remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and shows no sign of returning. In his absence, the Packers have leaned on MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, and Chris Brooks, but none have been particularly effective for fantasy.

Brooks has been ruled out for Green Bay’s Week 5 home game against the Bears. But even so, does it make sense to start either Lloyd or Johnson in fantasy?

Let’s break down the timeshare and each option’s potential value.

MarShawn Lloyd or Kaleb Johnson Start or Sit Advice for Week 5

Lloyd started the year as the top option in Jacobs’ absence but fumbled in Week 2 and lost playing time to Johnson in Week 3. However, even with more work, Johnson didn’t quite get it together. Ultimately, he lost a fumble of his own in the fourth quarter of the team’s narrow Week 4 win over the Buccaneers.

Lloyd finished the contest after Johnson’s fumble and posted his best yardage total of the season. He still ran for only 13 yards on seven carries, but he also caught five passes for 36 yards, for 9.9 FPTS. Lloyd also caught a touchdown in Week 2, finishing that week with 9.6 FPTS.

On 30 carries over four games, Lloyd has generated only 81 yards (2.7 yards per carry) and no rushing touchdowns. Johnson has been more efficient, running for 80 yards on 20 carries (4.0 yards per carry). However, he has caught only one of his three targets over four games for 10 yards.

Brooks has played more snaps than both Lloyd and Johnson, but he has only 15 carries for 70 yards all season. He’s mostly been the third-down option; with him out on Sunday, the Packers signed Pierre Strong Jr. from their practice squad to fill the backfield void.

With more passing-down work available, Lloyd has the slight edge over Johnson this week, especially after Johnson’s late fumble in Tampa. The problem is that neither back has reliably found space behind the Packers’ injury-depleted offensive line. The Bears rank in the NFL’s top ten against running backs this season; with all the uncertainty, it’s hard to trust any of Green Bay’s options to suddenly be effective this week.

If you have to play a Packers running back, go with Lloyd. But neither Lloyd nor Johnson is a reliable Week 5 option.

In Week 5 DraftKings DFS contests, headlined by the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Lloyd’s $4,800 salary makes him a touchdown-dependent flier worth considering with Brooks out. Lloyd’s receiver work last week could earn him more playing time in this matchup, making him a better play than Johnson ($4,600) or Strong ($4,000) this week.

Verdict: Sit MarShawn Lloyd unless desperate; Sit Kaleb Johnson in all formats