All signs point to the Green Bay Packers getting Josh Jacobs back this week, after he spent the first six weeks of the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. The Packers have struggled to establish a consistent ground game in his absence, while using multiple replacements for Jacobs.
If the star is ready to roll against the Lions in Week 7, can you trust him to start in your fantasy football lineup?
Josh Jacobs Start or Sit Advice for Week 7
The Packers have been inconsistent this season with a couple of tough losses, but they have run off three straight wins coming into their Week 7 visit to face the Lions at Ford Field. They beat the Bears and Cowboys at Lambeau Field in the last two weeks, and they can suddenly improve to 5-2 if they can get a road win in Detroit.
Josh Jacobs was a key contributor and regular fantasy starter in the last two years with Green Bay. He played 15 games last season during and racked up 929 rushing yards on 234 carries with 13 rushing touchdowns. He also added 36 catches for 282 receiving yards and another touchdown. Since coming to Green Bay, he’s played almost all the snaps in the backfield when he’s been healthy, and without Jacobs this year, no player has really stepped up as a strong replacement or platoon option.
MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. have all been in the mix while Jacobs was out, but none was very successful. Lloyd was incredibly inefficient, while Strong did look like he could contribute as a third-down option after producing five catches and 11.7 FPTS last week against the Cowboys.
Once he’s fully up to speed, Jacobs will be an easy start decision most weeks, but he could need some time to ramp up after such an extended absence, which is why his usage, and as a result, his fantasy value, is uncertain for this week.
The environment should be a good one for him if he does have a substantial role in his return. The Lions and Packers have the highest point total of the week on DraftKings Sportsbook at 53.5. While that doesn’t guarantee anything, it does indicate that the game could be high-scoring with plenty of points for both teams. The Lions’ defense has been very beatable through the air this season, and they have also allowed four RB touchdowns in five games. Opposing running backs produce an average of 84.4 rushing yards per game, and in Week 4, Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 yards and two scores against them.
With a favorable matchup and a high-scoring environment, there’s definitely a case to be made for getting Jacobs right back in your fantasy lineup this week. However, it’s also important to acknowledge the risk factors, as his workload is totally uncertain. On top of that, the Packers haven’t been able to run-block well enough for any of their running backs to gather much momentum.
If you have a stacked team and can wait another week, Jacobs’ role will be much clearer after he makes his return. However, if you need to plug him into a FLEX spot, he brings enough upside to be worth the uncertainty in most standard-sized leagues.
For DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st, $100K Leaderboard Eligible] on DraftKings, Jacobs is a high-risk play at $6,300. Many other running backs around that salary present fewer risk factors and similar upsides, but if you are confident that Jacobs can get into the end zone and have a big day, he could end up being a strong leverage play for tournaments, since everyone else will be waiting to see his role and readiness.
