UPDATE: Jordan Love will officially be inactive for the Packers Week 2 matchup with the Colts. The standout quarterback suffered an MCL injury in the opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Love seemed a long shot to play throughout the entire week, but was not officially ruled out until Sunday morning.
On the bright side for the Packers, WR Jayden Reed ($6,000) is officially in the lineup after his status was uncertain throughout the week. Reed suffered a calf/shin injury in the opening week during his 138-yard receiving performance. The Packers will look to rely on him once again as backup quarterback Malik Willis ($5,000) prepares for his first start with the team.
It is a frustrating start to the year for Jodan Love, who was a popular pick coming into the season to be one of the young quarterbacks to take that next leap into the NFL’s elite. The Packers will look to get him back on the field as soon as possible and Week 5 continues to be a target date floated out there. –Sean Barnard
UPDATE: Love is expected to miss Week 2 vs. the Colts and he will likely miss more than just one contest, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting on Sunday that Love is targeting a Week 5 return. Malik Willis ($5,000) should start for the Packers sans Love and his presence unfortunately hurts all of the Packers’ receiving options fantasy appeal, as Willis is a far less efficient passer than Love. – Alex Hunter
SEPTEMBER 13: The Packers (+3; O/U 40.5) were thrilled that they didn’t lose Jordan Love ($6,500) for the season less than a week ago, and now it looks like they may have avoided losing him for any games at all. Love was diagnosed with an MCL sprain, which usually means between three and six weeks on the sideline, but the Packers declined to rule him out at any point this week — even on Friday’s injury report.
If he is out, as was widely expected, Malik Willis ($5,000) would start in his place. It’s also not clear if either QB will have Jayden Reed ($6,000; shin/calf) available after his huge 36.1 FPTS performance in Week 1, as he’s also listed as questionable. If Reed is out, Romeo Doubs ($5,700) and Christian Watson ($5,000) would have to pick up more work. – Zach Thompson
SEPTEMBER 8: After the team returned from Brazil where they lost to the Eagles, Jordan Love had further tests on his knee. They revealed an MCL sprain, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but there was no ACL damage, confirming what initial tests showed.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added to the report that the initial expectation is that Love is expected to miss 3-to-6 weeks. Love could even be on the front end of that window, depending on a second opinion and how his recovery progresses.
While he is out, backup Malik Willis will likely step in to start a few games for Green Bay. They’ll face the Colts, visit the Titans and then host the Vikings in the next three weeks. The Packers bye week isn’t until Week 10, and it looks like Love should be back before then, according to this initial estimate.
While he will likely miss some games, this is about as good a scenario as Packer backers could have hoped for. -Zach Thompson
SEPTEMBER 6: The Packers‘ loss to the Eagles in their season opener is the least of their worries. In the waning moments of the fourth quarter, franchise quarterback Jordan Love ($6,400; 17.4 FPTS) went down holding his knee after being sandwiched between Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat. The 25-year-old just signed a four-year, $220-million extension this off-season.
It was a mixed-bag effort for Love, who completed just 50% of his passes while throwing for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Like many players on the field, he struggled to adapt to the surface in Brazil, consistently slipping in the pocket and falling on his back foot when releasing the ball.
When asked in the postgame press conference about Love’s status, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said, “I don’t know.” The Packers get ten days off before hosting the Colts next Sunday. – Xaiver Aguiar
