Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd was a high-upside swing in fantasy football drafts with an understandably low floor. So, finishing his first game of the 2026 season with 13 carries for 37 yards and no impact in the passing game was in the range of outcomes for the third-year running back.
Despite that, Justin Carter of Fansided is making it clear that it is already time to panic when it comes to Lloyd. Carter notes that the team clearly does not have faith to give Lloyd more work, and that he might even lose the carries that he is currently getting.
“(Lloyd) played under 50 percent of snaps as the team used Chris Brooks on passing downs,” wrote Carter. “Brooks ended up playing 56 percent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps. In his 42nd career NFL game, Brooks crossed the 50 percent mark in offensive snaps for the first time ever.”
Carter went on to note that the Packers have never trusted Brooks with that sort of work, and this is now his third year with the team. That should speak to what they feel about Lloyd. On top of that, they traded for Kaleb Johnson, who might get slowly inserted into the lineup.
“That really feels like the damning evidence against Lloyd — rather than let him handle much of the every-down workload, the team turned to a guy who had largely spent his NFL career playing on special teams,” added Carter. “This also came with Kaleb Johnson playing zero offensive snaps; the former third-round pick could start to siphon off work at some point as well.”
Lloyd was already a low-cost investment, so Carter advises being the first to move on.
Time to Panic on Green Bay Packers Running Back MarShawn Lloyd
In one sense, there is promise for Lloyd to perform better if the game script is more in his favor. Brooks played 30 passing-down snaps to 16 for Lloyd. Meanwhile, Lloyd had 13 rushing snaps to eight for Brooks.
The Packers trailed late, so instead of icing the game with Lloyd, they had Brooks in for passing downs. If Green Bay is leading, Lloyd will likely get more work, and he could put up fantasy numbers.
However, the point Carter is making is that because Lloyd will not beat out Brooks for the passing-down role, his upside is now limited. A low ceiling and a low floor is not fun for fantasy football.
Kaleb Johnson Could Emerge For Packers
Lloyd struggling to carve out an every-down role over Brooks might end up being good news for second-year running back Kaleb Johnson. The Packers traded for Johnson during roster cuts, so he has hardly been with the team.
That explains why he did not play at all in Week 1. Still, he is the youngest and highest-drafted player of the three. He brings the most potential if he can live up to expectations. So, once Johnson learns the offense, he has a chance to take the every-down back role. That is another reason to sell on Lloyd.
Packers’ Third-Year RB Gets ‘Damning’ Warning