In Week 7, Josh Jacobs made his long-awaited return to the field for the Green Bay Packers. His performance wasn’t a particularly special one, but fantasy managers with him on their rosters were probably just glad to get him back into the mix. Now, his team heads into a Week 8 matchup against the Carolina Panthers – can he be trusted as a must-start in fantasy lineups?
Is Josh Jacobs a Week 8 must-start?
Josh Jacobs spent the first six weeks of the 2026 NFL season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List as a result of off-field allegations brought against him. We’ll steer far clear of discussion when it comes to his legal situation, but what fantasy managers need to know is that he was never formally suspended by the league and was allowed to use team facilities, though he was not able to practice or play. After being removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt List – though a league investigation remains ongoing – he returned when first eligible to play in Week 7.
Jacobs handled 11 carries for 36 yards in his return against the Detroit Lions. While unimpressive with those touches, his 11 rush attempts were nearly double that of the next-closest rusher, which was MarShawn Lloyd with six. What did stand out about Jacobs’ season debut was his role in the passing game. He saw seven targets and caught five of those for 55 yards and a touchdown, making a quick impact in that area of the game. All in all, he finished the day with 20.1 PPR points, quite the season debut after the layoff.
That kind of production was probably better than what plenty of fantasy managers expected in Jacobs’ return to live action. However, it wasn’t out of the norm in terms of raw output – he averaged 17.2 and 15.8 FPPG in his first two seasons in Green Bay.
So, is Jacobs a must-start running back in Week 8? It seems so.
The most important thing for his fantasy outlook moving forward was, indeed, the role he took on in his season debut. With 18 total opportunities and 16 total touches, Jacobs immediately slotted into the kind of workhorse role he held in past years. From an on-field perspective, it was incredibly encouraging for his outlook since he may grow more involved once he’s fully back up to game speed.
Beyond that, though, the matchup is practically a dream spot for fantasy production. The Packers play at home on Thursday Night Football against the Panthers, who allow 28.7 FPPG to RBs this season. That mark is the second highest of any team in football, so Jacobs could be primed for a huge night. Carolina really struggles against the run – the defense ranks dead last in EPA/rush allowed, fourth-to-last in rushing success rate allowed, and fifth-to-last in explosive rush rate allowed. Against halfbacks in particular, the Panthers have given up an NFL-worst 5.21 YPC and are tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns allowed with nine.
Frankly, the matchup couldn’t be much better for Jacobs in Week 8. The opposing defense is one of the most lucrative in the league when it comes to fantasy points for running backs, and it seems he’s already reclaimed a strong workhorse role in this backfield. He’s a far better talent than Lloyd, so that’s really no surprise, either. And while some concerns about his return to play may be valid since he’s played just one game this season, he should have enough opportunities to rack up fantasy points against a soft run defense even if he’s still ramping back up to full speed.
As such, fire Jacobs up in lineups and start him in Week 8. He should pay off nicely.
