Brooks totals 35 yards on five touches

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.

He added one catch for 15 yards. While those stats are not impressive, Brooks also played on 24 of the team’s 53 snaps, which was the most of any Green Bay running back. After Marshawn Lloyd fumbled in the second half, it was Brooks who saw the next red zone carries and also Brooks who caught a crucial pass in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. This has all the makings of a confusing committee, but Brooks needs to be on radars in deeper formats until Josh Jacobs returns.

Pelissero reminds us that Jacobs was “originally booked on five charges, including felony strangulation.” He now faces “reduced charges of misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property.” The NFL continues to monitor all developments in the matter, which remains under review. Jacobs could end up being suspended. His backups are RB MarShawn Lloyd, who has performed well all spring and summer, and RB Chris Brooks. Lloyd should be a priority in drafts at this time. According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, the police department’s full incident report indicates that the department is in possession of a video showing Jacobs striking a woman after throwing her to the ground.

Lloyd played on 5-of-7 snaps during the first drive, giving way to RB Chris Brooks for third- and fourth-and-inches. Lloyd looks fast and powerful and can be treated as a high-end bench stash with potential standalone value. His touchdown occurred on a nifty catch-and-run play over the middle. Starting RB Josh Jacobs (groin) did not play.

Matt LaFleur said Chris Brooks, who is currently on the NFI list, injured himself while training but is expected to return sooner rather than later. With both the first and the third running back out of commission, MarShawn Lloyd is going to get plenty of reps with the first-team offense. Having missed the bulk of his first two seasons, that’s exactly what the young runner needed. Even if Jacobs isn’t sidelined for long, Lloyd could carve out a small standalone role in his absence. Jacobs is still facing legal troubles as well. If the league were to suspend him at any point this year, Lloyd would be the next man up.

The exact nature of Brooks’ “injury” is unclear. He took part in the offseason program. It could be something as simple as he failed the Packers’ conditioning test. Brooks’ status wouldn’t normally be worth updating, but these are not normal times in the Pack’s backfield as we await word on Josh Jacobs’ legal situation. Were Jacobs to end up suspended, the Packers would have a low-upside jumble that would undoubtedly include some Brooks touches. For now, we will assume he is soon activated. The same cannot be said for resolution to Jacobs’ situation, which appears complex and fluid.

Brooks opened team drills as the Packers’ starting running back on Wednesday. Fellow backup RB Pierre Strong then subbed in, taking first-team reps as well. Starting RB Josh Jacobs was arrested on Tuesday for domestic abuse and was not present. Presumed RB MarShawn Lloyd practiced on Tuesday, but was limited to individual drills for an undisclosed reason on Wednesday. Injuries derailed Lloyd’s first two NFL seasons, so his absence is worth monitoring.

Jacobs this week was arrested in Wisconsin on domestic abuse chargers. The 28-year-old back was booked in jail for battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim. Jacobs denies the allegations. If the Packers were to release Jacobs — who has two years and $25 million remaining on his current deal — they would absorb a doable $6.2 million hit to the salary cap for 2026. Jacobs could be facing team and/or league discipline in the coming months, and could miss part of the regular season if the NFL’s investigation into the domestic abuse allegations warrants a suspension. Other running backs on the Packers depth chart include Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, and Pierre Strong.

Hard to blame him for coming to this conclusion given how injury-cursed MarShawn Lloyd’s career has been thus far, and Schneidman casts Chris Brooks as “a fine situational No. 3 back.” One thing worth noting is that this is regarded as a fairly shallow running back class, so it’s possible that the Packers would have to use a premium pick on one if they wanted a ready-to-play backup in 2026. Schneidman’s “best guess” is that they’ll use a “middle of the draft” pick on one.

Brooks ran 27 times for 106 yards and caught 13 passes for 91 yards in 2025. He also logged 230 special teams snaps. Brooks fills multiple roles as a depth option at running back and a special teamer. He is now under contract through 2027.