Latest news with #JoshJacobs
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd remaining upbeat as he continues to deal with injuries
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd says he has leaned on his faith as he deals with the multiple injuries that have kept him off the field for much of his NFL career. That faith is being tested once again. The 2024 third-round pick from Southern California played just one game and carried the ball only six times as a rookie due to a variety of injuries. Now he's dealing with a groin issue that leaves him uncertain about when he will be cleared to practice again. 'Eventually these things will come across and I'll be able to be exactly who I know I can be,' Lloyd said Thursday. 'It will come soon, so I'm excited about it. I've got to keep staying in my faith, and everything's going to roll out the right way.' The Packers want Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson, whose 502 yards rushing last season ranked second on the team, to provide depth behind Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs. Wilson has his own issues in dealing with a bone bruise in his knee as the Packers prepare for their preseason opener Saturday against the New York Jets. During his rookie year, Lloyd dealt with injuries to his hamstring and ankle that kept him off the field. He seemed close to coming off injured reserve in November until he started feeling pain in his abdomen, got it checked out and discovered he had appendicitis. The lessons Lloyd learned during that rookie season have prepared him for this latest setback. Lloyd has also benefited from the set up of the Packers' new locker room, which has him right next to three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark. 'A lot of things I've been going through haven't been long-term things,' Lloyd said. 'I've just got to incorporate different things into my system. Having a guy like Kenny Clark, he told me early in his career, he struggled with some little soft-tissue stuff, so I've just been leaning on him a lot, listening to what he's saying, Pilates, yoga, just different things like that.' Lloyd's locker also puts him near Jacobs and All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney. Lloyd says he often reaches out to them for advice as well as learns more about his body and discovers what it's going to take to stay healthy. Jacobs says Lloyd remains in high spirits. 'We're seeing him out there every day running and cutting,' Jacobs said. 'He feels good. I think that's the biggest thing for him. And I think mentally he's in a way better place than he was last year. He's understanding what it is and what it takes to play in this league, and he understands there's sometimes hiccups in the road. We're there for him whenever he feels like the pressure might be too much or what not. I think he's going to be all right.' ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd remaining upbeat as he continues to deal with injuries
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd says he has leaned on his faith as he deals with the multiple injuries that have kept him off the field for much of his NFL career. That faith is being tested once again. The 2024 third-round pick from Southern California played just one game and carried the ball only six times as a rookie due to a variety of injuries. Now he's dealing with a groin issue that leaves him uncertain about when he will be cleared to practice again. 'Eventually these things will come across and I'll be able to be exactly who I know I can be,' Lloyd said Thursday. 'It will come soon, so I'm excited about it. I've got to keep staying in my faith, and everything's going to roll out the right way.' The Packers want Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson, whose 502 yards rushing last season ranked second on the team, to provide depth behind Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs. Wilson has his own issues in dealing with a bone bruise in his knee as the Packers prepare for their preseason opener Saturday against the New York Jets. During his rookie year, Lloyd dealt with injuries to his hamstring and ankle that kept him off the field. He seemed close to coming off injured reserve in November until he started feeling pain in his abdomen, got it checked out and discovered he had appendicitis. The lessons Lloyd learned during that rookie season have prepared him for this latest setback. Lloyd has also benefited from the set up of the Packers' new locker room, which has him right next to three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark. 'A lot of things I've been going through haven't been long-term things,' Lloyd said. 'I've just got to incorporate different things into my system. Having a guy like Kenny Clark, he told me early in his career, he struggled with some little soft-tissue stuff, so I've just been leaning on him a lot, listening to what he's saying, Pilates, yoga, just different things like that.' Lloyd's locker also puts him near Jacobs and All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney. Lloyd says he often reaches out to them for advice as well as learns more about his body and discovers what it's going to take to stay healthy. Jacobs says Lloyd remains in high spirits. 'We're seeing him out there every day running and cutting,' Jacobs said. 'He feels good. I think that's the biggest thing for him. And I think mentally he's in a way better place than he was last year. He's understanding what it is and what it takes to play in this league, and he understands there's sometimes hiccups in the road. We're there for him whenever he feels like the pressure might be too much or what not. I think he's going to be all right.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Don't call it a comeback — meet 2025's All-Renaissance fantasy football team, full of players ready to return to glory
You know them. We all have them. Those players that we'll "never draft again" in fantasy, because they "lost us the championship," "were a waste of a first-round pick" or "got injured when we needed them most." And in some cases, these phrases are fair enough. I, for one, am not touching Christian Watson with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] However, every year, a few players bounce back from disappointing seasons to experience sweet, sweet redemption and work their way into a fantasy renaissance. In 2024, guys like Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones Sr. surged back into dominance with a change of scenery, while forgotten vets like Baker Mayfield and Jerry Jeudy posted career highs after years of disappointment. So, who are those guys in 2025? May I present ... the 2025 All-Renaissance Team! Quarterback QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers 2024: QB17 — 3,889 pass yards, 25 pass TD, 11 INT / 83 rush yards, 1 rush TD (15 games) After an excellent "debut" campaign as the Packers starter in 2023, Love dropped all the way from QB5 to QB17 last season. Why the dip? Six letters. V-O-L-U-M-E. After Green Bay threw the ball on 58% of plays in 2023 (14th in the NFL), they dropped to 49% in 2024 (30th) ... their lowest rate as a franchise since 1978. In five prior seasons under Matt LaFleur, Green Bay had never dropped below a 55% pass rate. And while we can attribute some of that to the acquisition of Jacobs, we also shouldn't expect them to rank 30th in the league again. The beauty of regression from outlier results is that it works both ways. Meanwhile, Love actually improved his yards per attempt and touchdown rate from '23 to '24, and also gained a first-round wide receiver in Matthew Golden this April. Just holding his 2024 efficiency metrics and returning to league-average volume would put Love back in the 4,000-yard, 30-TD, QB1 conversation. If he takes another step forward, clicks with Golden and recovers some of his rushing upside, the Love Renaissance could rocket him back into the top tier of fantasy quarterbacks this season. Running Backs RB1 Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers 2024: RB72 — 202 rush yards, 0 rush TD / 15 receptions, 146 rec yards, 0 rec TD (4 games) Meet Kyle. (Kyle is a fictional character.) After CMC broke fantasy football in 2019, Kyle drafted him first overall in 2020 ... and he played just three games all year. Unwilling to give up, Kyle drafted him again in 2021 ... and he missed another 10 games. Now frustrated, Kyle swore off CMC in 2022 ... and despite a midseason trade, McCaffrey played 17 games and finished as the RB2 overall. Oof. The dangers of the "Do Not Draft List." Then, after another RB1 overall finish in 2023, McCaffrey played just four games in 2024 amid poorly reported health issues, putting him back on many fantasy managers' blacklists. I get it. The injuries have been frustrating, and "Achilles tendinitis" is a very scary phrase. But the best injury experts in this industry — people like ESPN's Stephania Bell and The Fantasy Footballers' Matthew Betz — are more bullish on CMC's proven resiliency than they are worried about the "injury-prone" label. And I'm with them. When he stays healthy, McCaffrey is the best running back in fantasy, and you're drafting to win your league, not to finish comfortably in sixth. Give him another shot. RB2 Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks 2024: RB28 — 573 rush yards, 7 rush TD / 46 receptions, 299 rec yards, 1 rec TD (11 games) Similar to McCaffrey, "K9" has garnered a reputation for missing games — 10 over three seasons, to be exact. Moreover, Walker also lost some touches to Zach Charbonnet when healthy last year, raising worries over a "committee" backfield in Seattle. The 24-year-old has yet to crack RB15 in points per game in any of his three seasons, and is currently going as the RB14 in Yahoo ADP. Despite the seemingly bleak picture painted above, Walker is one of my favorite draft targets in 2025. In the 21 career games he's played at least 60% of the snaps, K9 has averaged 88 scrimmage yards and 15.4 fantasy points per game, with 18 touchdowns. Those are strong RB1 numbers. New Seattle OC Klint Kubiak comes from a strong lineage of throwing to backs, and both Dalvin Cook (283 in 2021) and Alvin Kamara (296 in 2024) saw massive RB1 workloads in Kubiak's two prior seasons as an OC. Walker will need to stay healthy — as does everyone in this game — but he could have his strongest season to date in the new Seattle system. Wide Receivers WR1 DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers 2024: WR32 — 108 targets, 66 receptions, 992 rec yards, 5 rec TD (15 games) After four straight seasons as a top-20 fantasy wideout, Metcalf finished 2024 with just 108 targets — fewest since his rookie season — and a career-low five touchdowns. Then he signed a four-year, $132 million contract with the Steelers, and, after a few months of nail-biting, Aaron Rodgers signed on to be his quarterback. So, what can we expect from the veteran duo (and camp suitemates) in 2025? A whole lot. Over his last 10 healthy seasons, Aaron Rodgers' top receiver has seen an average of 138 targets, and six of those 10 saw at least 149 targets. If we remove 2022 — when his best receiver was Allen Lazard (97 targets) — and 2012 — when he evenly distributed the rock to a wealth of stars led by Randall Cobb (104 targets) — that average jumps to 147 targets. Needless to say, Metcalf is better than Lazard, and the rest of the 2025 Pittsburgh depth chart is a far cry from prime Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Greg Jennings. Still not convinced? After the Jets acquired Davante Adams last year, Rodgers turned him into the WR5 down the stretch, while still supporting Garrett Wilson as the WR22 over that same span. Metcalf isn't just headed for a 2025 renaissance ... he might have a career year and threaten for WR1 overall. WR2 Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins 2024: WR46 — 83 targets, 58 receptions, 744 rec yards, 2 rec TD (15 games) A quick glance at Waddle's 2024 numbers might lead you to believe he missed half the season. He did not. And while he was worse with Miami's backup QBs than with Tua Tagovailoa, Waddle's numbers with Tua were still well below expectation after three stellar seasons to start his young career. The entire Miami offense seemed askew, due in large part to the QB carousel. They finished in the bottom half of the league in both yards and points, after finishing first and second in those categories, respectively, in 2023. But take a look at the short window of success they found from Weeks 10-14. They averaged 28 points per game and went 4-1 ... and Waddle caught fire in that stretch, averaging 78 yards per game and setting a full-season pace of 88 catches and 1,326 yards. That's the Waddle we expected ... and it's the Waddle he expects from himself in 2025. He and Tagovailoa are building chemistry in camp, and his coaches and teammates still have high expectations. I'm buying into those expectations (and Waddle's climbing ADP), and believe he can be a borderline WR1 again in 2025. Tight End TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys 2024: TE30 — 86 targets, 59 receptions, 494 rec yards, 0 rec TD (14 games) After finishing as the surprise TE8 in 2023, lots of fantasy analysts — myself included — had Ferguson as a draft target in 2024. Unfortunately, he missed three games and was a major bust for most of the season, scoring zero touchdowns after logging five the year prior. But let's dig a little deeper. In the seven games Ferguson played after Dak Prescott's season ended, the tight end averaged just 3.0 catches and 22.9 yards per game. But in the seven games he played with Prescott at the start of the year, Ferguson averaged 5.4 catches and 47.7 yards. Over a full season, that would be 92 catches and 811 yards. And while Ferguson still didn't score a single touchdown with Prescott in 2024, touchdowns are fluky. Prescott hit a career-low 3.8% TD rate last year, but if you take his prior career rate of 5.2% and apply it to Ferguson's 7.4 targets per game over the first half of 2024 ... you'd be looking at six to seven touchdowns. With Prescott back in 2025, and positive touchdown regression incoming, Ferguson should rebound right back into TE1 territory this season. FLEX WR Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington Commanders 2024: 81 targets, 51 receptions, 670 rec yards, 3 rec TD / 136 rush yards, 1 rush TD (15 games) It felt only fitting to slot Deebo Samuel Sr. in as our All-Renaissance Flex, given his versatility on offense. Moreover, Samuel is truly the Lord of the Renaissance, as he somehow manages to do it every other year. Take a look at his fantasy production and finishes over the six seasons of his career: Year Fantasy PPG Fantasy Finish 2019 10.7 WR29 2020 9.2 WR97 2021 18.8 WR2 2022 10.8 WR37 2023 14.3 WR12 2024 8.5 WR44 I'd make a joke about Samuel being "due" in the upcoming "odd year," but I don't really need to. He's found his way into an excellent situation in Washington. If Terry McLaurin leaves the team, as he's requested, Samuel would likely be in line for a career high in targets — previously 121 in 2021, when he finished as the WR2 overall. If not, Samuel would still be the clear No. 2 in an excellent scheme for his skill set, designed by Kliff Kingsbury and captained by Jayden Daniels. Daniels threw the sixth-most screen passes per game and posted the second-highest completion percentage on quick throws in the league last year. Additionally, Samuel could see quite a bit of work out of the backfield, where neither Brian Robinson Jr. nor 30-year-old Austin Ekeler commands bell-cow volume. With a Yahoo ADP of WR45, you don't need to invest much to take a shot on Samuels' (third) bounce-back campaign, and very few receivers in that range of drafts have his overall upside.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matt LaFleur confirms Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd avoided long-term injury
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Thursday what Josh Jacobs first revealed on Tuesday: running back MarShawn Lloyd avoided a long-term injury when he was hurt during the team's first padded practice on Monday. LaFleur said Lloyd will miss practice time this week but avoided the worst-case scenario. "It's not going to be a long-term deal, but I wouldn't anticipate him (practicing) this week," LaFleur said Thursday. Lloyd suffered a groin/core injury on a perimeter run during Monday's practice. The Packers believed he was injured while planting his foot on the run and not when hit low unexpectedly by Nate Hobbs following the cut. A third-round pick in 2024 who missed most of training camp with injuries and then played in just one regular season game, Lloyd desperately needs the practice reps. With this new injury, Lloyd will miss at least three more practices, including Saturday night's "Family Night" event at Lambeau Field. Next week, the Packers don't return to the field until Tuesday morning. Green Bay's first preseason game is in eight days, which might be a stretch if Lloyd is dealing with a soft-tissue injury and can't practice this week. The Packers host the New York Jets on Saturday, Aug. 9. In related injury news, LaFleur said rookie receiver Savion Williams is still going through the "return to play" protocol after suffering a concussion, explaining why he left practice early on Tuesday. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Matt LaFleur confirms Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd avoided long-term injury
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
5 Burning Questions For The Green Bay Packers' Offense
Josh Jacobs had a sensational 2024 season and could be ready for an even bigger year in 2025. The Green Bay Packers ranked No. 5 in total offense last season. They were fifth in rushing offense, 12th in passing offense and eighth in points per game (27.1). On paper, those numbers are certainly impressive. Down the stretch, though, Green Bay's offense went into hibernation. The Packers scored just 10 points in their playoff loss to Philadelphia, and they averaged just 19.0 points per outing during their season-ending three-game losing streak. Green Bay also started slow in big games, which was a major reason it went 0-6 against Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota — the teams with the best records in the NFC. All of that led to a frustrating ending for a team that began the year 11-4 before settling for an 11-7 finish. 'As a team, we need to wake up,' Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said at the end of the 2024 campaign. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur wasn't arguing. 'I think collectively, we have to be better, and I expect better,' LaFleur said. 'We performed at a pretty high level a majority of the season and then took a dive.' The Packers begin training camp on Wednesday, and seemingly have plenty of talent to rebound and make a deep playoff run. For that to happen, though, they'll need positive answers to these five questions on offense.1. Can Jordan Love become elite? When the 2023 season ended, it looked like Love would be a star for years to come. Love threw 37 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions that season, and in the second half of the year had a stretch where he threw a remarkable 23 TDs and just one interception. Love didn't regress in 2024, but he also didn't take the type of step up many expected. Love threw 25 TDs, 11 interceptions and had a 96.7 passer rating, while missing 2 ½ games due to injury. Love ranked 19th in passing yards (3,389) and completed 63.1% of his passes. Love had a passer rating of at least 107.7 in five straight games between Weeks 11-15, but was at 92.0, or less, the last four contests. Love then threw three interceptions in Green Bay's loss to Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card game and had a season-low passer rating of 41.5. 'I mean, what is a step back is what I'd ask?' Love said when asked if he regressed in 2024. 'Everybody has different opinions, things like that. You gotta block that stuff out. It's all about the goals of the team at the end of the day. I'd say we won more games than we did the year before. That's why I ask people what is a step back?' There are 34 quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl. Fifteen are in the Hall of Fame and eight others are locks or likely entrees when they become eligible (Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning and Russell Wilson). You don't need to have an MVP-level quarterback to win a Super Bowl, but it sure makes life easier. Love has all the skills to become elite, but faces a critical year in his development. 'I think he is an ascending player that is going to get better and better and better,' LaFleur said of Love. Time is of the essence.2. Do the Packers need a No. 1 wide receiver? The simple answer is no. Green Bay does need its wide receivers to play like they did in 2023, though, instead of the group that finished third in the NFL last year with 33 dropped passes. 'That's something that we took a deep dive at,' LaFleur said of Green Bay's drops. 'We had a ton of drops, and that's an area that we have to clean up.' Green Bay's receiver group also failed to match their 2023 productivity levels. Jayden Reed led the Packers with 64 catches and 793 receiving yards in 2023, and also tied for the team lead with eight touchdown catches. Reed then had 55 catches and six TD grabs last year, and had seven games with two receptions, or less. Romeo Doubs had a sensational postseason in 2023 with 10 receptions, 234 yards and two TDs in two games. Naturally, many expected Doubs to build on those impressive numbers last year. Instead, Doubs saw his receptions (46), receiving yards (601) and TDs (four) all dip from the previous year. Doubs was also placed on the reserve/suspended list and missed Green Bay's Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams after going AWOL earlier that week. Dontayvion Wicks looked like a future star when he caught 39 passes for 581 yards and four TDs as a rookie in 2023. In 2024, Wicks led the Packers in targets (76), but was just fourth in receptions (39) and fifth in receiving yards (415). His catch rate of 51.3% was the second worst in football among wideouts. And his drop rate of 18.75% was also the second worst in football. Green Bay used its first round draft pick on receiver Matthew Golden and a third rounder on wideout Savion Williams. Both will get a chance to play immediately, especially if the returnees can't regain their 2023 form. 'I think it will be great competition and certainly we're excited to see what these young guys' roles will be,' Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said.3. Will the ground game be even better? The Packers ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (146.8), sixth in yards per carry (4.7) and fifth in rushing attempts (30.9) last season. Don't be shocked if those numbers go up. Green Bay ran the ball on 52.3% of its plays last season — the first time the Packers ran the ball more than they threw it since 2003 (51.7%). Then Green Bay got bigger up front by signing 325-pound guard Aaron Banks, drafting guard Anthony Belton (6-6, 335) and moving guard Elgton Jenkins to center. 'We've got to find a balance because we have so many playmakers, you know?' Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs said. 'We have playmakers at wide receiver. Obviously playmakers at tight end. And obviously running backs, too. So it's like, we've got to find a perfect balance of getting everybody the ball.' Jacobs will touch the ball plenty. Jacobs finished sixth in the NFL in rushing yards last season (1,329), averaged 4.4 yards per carry and had 16 total touchdowns (15 rushing). His 301 carries were also the sixth-most in franchise history. 'The guy is a dawg,' Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans said of Jacobs. 'He's been everything that we would hope for and definitely the engine for us offensively.' Emanuel Wilson (502 yards, 4.9 per carry) had a solid season as the Packers' No. 2 back last year. And MarShawn Lloyd — a 2024 third round draft pick who played in just one game last year due to injury — could provide a lift. 'Obviously we've got a lot of high expectations for him because he brings a different blend to our offense just with his speed and quickness,' Sirmans said of Lloyd. 'I'm pretty pleased with him so far.'4. Who will be LEFT standing? One of the more fascinating battles of training camp will be second year player Jordan Morgan trying to dislodge two-year starter Rasheed Walker from the left tackle position. Walker led the Packers in offensive snaps last year (1,075) and played reasonably well. Walker allowed a respectable three sacks, but he had far too many penalties (nine) and allowed too many pressures (35). 'I think Rasheed's done a lot of really, really good things for us,' Gutekunst said. 'I don't think he necessarily needs to show anything. Like anything, you've got to continue to play at a high level. We're going to have a lot of competition there.' Morgan, Green Bay's first round draft pick in 2024, played in just six games last season before going on the injured reserve list Nov. 16 with a shoulder injury. Morgan, a left tackle at Arizona State, split snaps at right guard with Sean Rhyan early last season, but will be moved back to left tackle in camp. Walker has been serviceable the past two seasons, but will be a free agent after the 2025 campaign ends. So if Morgan wins the job, it could benefit Green Bay in both the short and long term. Walker won't be easy to unseat, though. And the Packers aren't going to simply hand Morgan the job based on his lofty draft status and Walker's likely exit in free agency. 'It's going to be a great competition,' LaFleur said. '(Morgan) and Sheed are going to battle it out and hopefully push each other to be that much better.'5. Is Tucker Kraft the next big thing? Tucker Kraft, a third round draft pick from South Dakota State in 2023, looked lost in training camp and for much of his rookie season. Today, he's emerging as one of the league's best tight ends and should be featured more in the passing game than his first two years. Kraft was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2024 after starting all 17 games and finishing second on the team in receptions (50) and yards (707). Kraft also led the Packers with seven receiving touchdowns. Kraft's 707 receiving yards last year were the most by a Packer tight end since Jermichael Finley (767) in 2011. Kraft's average of 9.1 yards after the catch was also tops among all NFL tight ends and the second-best mark since 2000, trailing only San Francisco's George Kittle (9.9) in 2018. Kraft is a tireless worker who wants to win as badly as anyone in the building. He's also developed into a leader rather quickly. 'I want to be the guy in Year 3,' Kraft said. 'I have goals and aspirations.' Finley holds the Packers' record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (61) and Paul Coffman holds the mark for receiving yards in a season (814). Don't be surprised if Kraft surpasses both of those numbers this year. 'When Tuck gets the ball, usually good things happen,' LaFleur said. 'He's a powerful dude, he runs extremely hard, I love how he finishes. 'One thing I think he's got to learn, just in terms of when he does finish, he doesn't have to try to take somebody's head off every time. He gets a little out of control at times. But I think that's a balance, but the mentality is exactly what you want.'
