Fantasy managers will take note of Matt LaFleur’s comments on Josh Jacobs’ backups during Packers’ absence

The Green Bay Packers are planning to be without Josh Jacobs. And they’ve already made a trade to bolster the backfield. Furthermore, fantasy managers will take note of Matt LaFleur’s comments about Jacobs’ backups during his absence, according to a post on X by Tom Silverstein.

“LaFleur said that he feels like he can rely on Pierre Strong in the early weeks with Josh Jacobs out indefinitely.”

Strong is a practice squad player. The Packers currently have MarShawn Lloyd as their RB1, followed by Chris Brooks. There’s also newly acquired Kaleb Johnson, according to a post on X by Jason B. Hirschhorn.

“Packers HC Matt LaFleur on Kaleb Johnson:
‘Kaleb’s a guy that we really liked coming out of Iowa. I talked to [former Green Bay assistant] Tim Lester about him a little bit. Certainly, I think he’s really good at the outside-zone stuff.’ ”

It almost sounds like the Packers are going to use everybody in the backfield. That’s a big yawn for fantasy managers.

Packers reassessing backfield situation

Johnson doesn’t bring a ton of speed to the Packers’ backfield mix. The 2025 third-round pick is 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds but runs only a 4.57 in the 40, according to The Athletic.

In the Steelers’ training camp, he didn’t show explosiveness and struggled to create more than what was blocked. However, one observer sees the trade as a potential win for the Packers, according to Sports Illustrated.

“Acquiring Johnson is a smart, swing-for-the-fences move done for equal parts necessity and potential,” Bill Huber wrote. “The potential is obvious. By consistently producing against stacked boxes focused on him rather than a nonexistent passing attack, he’s got the tough-guy style the Packers like.”

Of course, Johnson will have to overcome the special teams blunder that may have limited his opportunities with the Steelers, according to ESPN.

“Johnson never found his footing in Pittsburgh,” Rob Demovsky wrote. “His most notable moment was a special teams gaffe when he let a live ball bounce past him on a kickoff. Instead of recovering the ball, which landed in the landing zone, Johnson let the ball bounce into the end zone, where Seattle recovered it for a touchdown.”

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