LaFleur: Jacobs will miss at least a week

Brooks suffered the ankle injury in Week 4. He went down in the first half and did not return. Brooks underwent testing on his ankle after the game, though the exact nature of his injury has yet to be reported. He does appear to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 5. If he can’t go, MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson will split the backfield. Johnson led the team in carries last week but also gave up a goal line fumble. We expect Lloyd to get the start versus Chicago on Sunday.

Brooks left the Packers’ Week 4 win over the Bucs with an ankle injury in the first half. He did not return after the break and LaFleur didn’t have any definitive answers about the injury on Monday. It sounds like his status for Week 5 is very much up in the air. After coughing up a goal line fumble, Kaleb Johnson would likely take a backseat to MarShawn Lloyd once again. Lloyd has some low-end RB3 appeal as the potential lead back, but this is ultimately a backfield to avoid for fantasy purposes if possible.

Jacob’s current time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List is expected to count as time served toward an eventual suspension. Rapoport added, “If they get to the point where it’s five games, six games, maybe eight games, that might be when you’re looking at a potential return for Josh Jacobs.” The NFL is currently trying to obtain video footage of the incident from the Hobart/Lawrence police department. The victim in Jacobs’ case requested that it be sealed by a judge for privacy reasons, but that request was denied. Now the NFL has filed a FOIA request to obtain it. It seems like they won’t make any decisions on Jacobs’ suspension until they have viewed the video, which could take several more weeks to resolve.

The Packers largely played in a trailing game script last night. Lloyd does not have meaningful access to passing down snaps, logging just one snap on third down and none in the two-minute drill, making him mostly dependent on decent rushing workloads. He played 45.5 percent of the red zone snaps and took the lone snap inside the five-yard line, but was held out of the end zone. Lloyd’s six touches led the backfield, but are hardly enough to keep him locked in 12-team FLEX spots.

The two backs combined for the only eight running back rush attempts on a night the Packers’ offensive line was completely manhandled by an aggressive and athletic Atlanta front. Lloyd took his four carries for 11 yards while Johnson managed only six on his four totes. Both backs were targeted three times through the air, with Johnson going for 10 yards on one reception and Lloyd managing just seven yards on two grabs. This backfield is a complete mess amidst Josh Jacobs’ absence and mounting injuries along the offensive line, with neither back anywhere near a usable fantasy asset ahead of a Week 4 road matchup with the pass-funnel Buccaneers.

He added that the matter has been turned over to the Hobart/Lawrence police department, which is now in charge of determining whether or not the video will be released. Jacobs or the victim can then appeal that decision. The NFL has been adamant about getting the video before determining Jacobs’ pending suspension, and this increased the odds of that happening. Still, Jacobs could try to prevent that through the appeal process. Jacobs is believed to be facing a 4-6 game suspension, but the NFL can increase the length because of aggravating circumstances. This legal matter is inching toward a resolution, but a clash over the video would likely delay things even further.

Perhaps more importantly, Lloyd lost a key fumble in the second half and then was barely on the field after that. The 25-year-old had plenty of trouble earning yards in the running game, but he was wide open on a well-designed screen pass in the first half for a touchdown catch. Lloyd played on just 16 of the Packers’ 53 snaps and handled seven of their 19 carries. This is a confusing committee that isn’t giving any running back real value, and Josh Jacobs could return at some point near the middle of the season. Fantasy managers in shallow leagues don’t need to hold onto Lloyd, and others could look to trade him away on the back of his receiving touchdown.

The league is reportedly pushing to get hold of the videotaped incident that took place between Jacobs and his ex-girlfriend, but the victim has filed a motion that states the disclosure of the tape would threaten her “privacy, dignity, security, and emotional well-being.” Fowler says this motion will make acquiring the tape “increasingly harder for the league,” but that a four-to-six-game suspension is believed to be in range for Jacobs, according to people Fowler has spoken with across the league. Jacobs remains on the commissioner’s exempt list and will not be active for Week 2’s game against the Jets.

Chris Brooks drew the start in this game and held a carries advantage over Lloyd for a while. Matt LaFleur eventually came to his senses and got Lloyd more involved, though it didn’t result in much production. He averaged a measly 2.8 yards per carry and didn’t catch his lone target. Lloyd will project for more carries than Brooks in Week 2, but he’s a committee back without a role in the passing game. Lloyd will shuffle to the back of the RB3 ranks versus the Jets next week.

According to Rapoport, the league is “trying all sorts of legal maneuvers” to get the video of the incident. The court has already barred the video from being released, so it’s unclear whether the league will be able to get it from Jacobs at all. For now, Jacobs remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. MarShawn Lloyd will start at running back until he is removed from the list and serves an impending suspension.