MarShawn Lloyd scares me. And yet, here I am, having drafted him in both of my 2026 fantasy football redraft leagues so far. It’s terrifying, but I love the temptation and the upside.
Josh Jacobs landed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List following a domestic incident, and suddenly the Packers’ backfield and Marshawn Lloyd’s fantasy outlook got way more interesting. Some fantasy analysts still won’t touch him as a top-25 running back. This week, I took him in the 7th round (74th overall) of a 12-team half-PPR draft anyway. Reach? Maybe. But I’m buying the talent and the opportunity, along with the scary medical history.
So, should you draft MarShawn Lloyd in 2026 fantasy football drafts, or leave the headache for the next guy?
Let’s dive in.
MARSHAWN LLOYD INJURY HISTORY
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Lloyd has barely played football as a pro. Two seasons, 10 total snaps, seven touches (six carries, one catch, 18 yards from scrimmage). That’s alarming.
The good news? Lloyd took his health seriously this offseason, spending months at a specialized injury rehab institute. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reported the visit included a deep dive into Lloyd’s lower-body range of motion and lumbopelvic strength. A longtime pro sports physician reportedly found Lloyd had been overcompensating at the ankle and hip, which was residual fallout from a 2020 ACL tear. Schneidman has since doubled down, noting the Packers are genuinely optimistic about where Lloyd’s body is at heading into 2026.
Cautious optimism, but any optimism counts at this stage.
MARSHAWN LLOYD PROSPECT PEDIGREE
After three seasons at South Carolina, former high school rival Caleb Williams recruited him out west to USC, and he had a career year: 116 carries, 820 rushing yards, 7.1 yards per carry, and 9 rushing touchdowns. The advanced numbers backed it up too. He had an 87.2 PFF rushing grade, a 93.0 gap grade, a 177.0 elusive rating, and nearly 4 yards after contact per attempt. Add in 232 receiving yards on just 13 catches (one drop on 18 targets), and you’ve got a back who can do it all.
Just like in the NFL, his path wasn’t smooth in college. A torn ACL cost him his true freshman year at South Carolina and slowed his early development. But he clearly figured things out. And athletically? Lloyd is built like a tank at 5’9″, 220 pounds, with a 4.46 forty, 25 bench reps, and a 97th-percentile size-speed score. His college missed-tackles-forced rate would have ranked second in the 2026 rookie class, behind only Jeremiyah Love.
I was firmly in the Lloyd fan club coming out of USC, ranking him RB3 in the 2024 dynasty rookie class behind Jonathon Brooks and Jaylen Wright. The talent has never been the question. Health and opportunity have been.
THE OPPORTUNITY IS FINALLY HERE
With Jacobs unable to play while on the exempt list (and no clear return timeline, though GM Brian Gutekunst said on September 1 that he expects Jacobs back at some point this season), Lloyd has stepped in as Green Bay’s clear RB1 throughout camp, and by all accounts, he’s looked the part.
Worth noting: based on past suspensions, Jacobs could be facing a six-game minimum ban, with a full year on the exempt list not out of the question. That’s a lot of runway for Lloyd to make this juicy backfield his. Not to mention a Matt LaFleur backfield that has produced a top-12 RB PPR PPG scorer in the last six of seven seasons.
MARSHAWN LLOYD FANTASY OUTLOOK: SHOULD YOU DRAFT HIM?
The opportunity side of this equation looks great. Jacobs missing extended time feels like a safe bet, with real downside risk of an even longer absence. The health side is still the major wild card. But Lloyd himself invested real time and effort into fixing the root cause this offseason, which counts for something.
Right now, Lloyd is going off the board around RB30 in redraft leagues, and our own Wolf has him just a few spots higher than the consensus at RB28. Given the talent, the workout numbers, and a legitimately wide-open backfield, that price feels like a bargain if the medicals hold.
Is MarShawn Lloyd terrifying? Absolutely. Is he worth the gamble at his current ADP? I keep saying yes with my own draft picks, so I’ll keep practicing what I preach.
