Player Outlooks
Kaleb Johnson to Green Bay: I'm Still Drafting MarShawn Lloyd First
Green Bay's trade for Kaleb Johnson adds another layer to the Josh Jacobs contingency plan, but it does not make Johnson the clear handcuff. MarShawn Lloyd is still the Packers backup I want first.
The Packers just made one of the most important late-round running back situations in fantasy football more complicated.
Green Bay is acquiring Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers as teams finalize their 53-man rosters.
The timing is impossible to ignore.
Josh Jacobs is facing an unresolved legal situation, the NFL is still reviewing the matter, and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged before the trade that Green Bay had been preparing for the possibility that Jacobs could miss time.
But I do not think the Johnson trade means fantasy managers should immediately replace MarShawn Lloyd with Johnson as the Packers back to draft behind Jacobs.
My read is the opposite:
Lloyd is still the Green Bay backup I want first. Johnson makes the potential post-Jacobs workload less clean, not more predictable.
What Actually Happened
Pittsburgh is trading Johnson to Green Bay during final roster cutdowns.
The exact compensation was not immediately reported when the deal surfaced.
That matters because Johnson was not being moved after pushing for a major role in Pittsburgh.
He was being moved after falling down the Steelers' running back pecking order.
Pittsburgh entered August with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle ahead of Johnson. By the end of the preseason, Johnson was also fighting for positioning with Travis Homer and Lew Nichols.
That is a major difference between being a former third-round pick and being a player who has actually earned an NFL role.
Johnson now gets a fresh start.
But fantasy managers should not erase what happened in Pittsburgh simply because the logo on his helmet changed.
Johnson's NFL Résumé Is Still Extremely Thin
The Steelers selected Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a huge final season at Iowa.
His rookie year never developed.
Johnson appeared in 10 regular-season games and finished with:
- 28 carries
- 69 rushing yards
- 2.5 yards per carry
- 1 reception
- 9 receiving yards
He played only a small offensive role and also lost special-teams opportunities after an early-season mistake.
The 2026 preseason was better, but it was not a breakout.
Across Pittsburgh's three preseason games, Johnson carried 17 times for 53 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards.
His best game came against the Jets, when he produced 39 rushing yards on 10 carries and added two catches for 15 yards.
There is still developmental upside here. Johnson is only 23, has NFL size and was a productive college runner.
But Green Bay did not just acquire a proven starting-caliber NFL back.
It acquired a talented reclamation project who was in danger of losing his roster spot in Pittsburgh.
That distinction matters for fantasy.
MarShawn Lloyd Has Already Earned More Trust in Green Bay
This is why I am not moving Johnson ahead of Lloyd.
Lloyd has spent the entire summer working his way into Green Bay's offensive plans.
The Packers gave him first-team snaps during training camp.
Jordan Love publicly called Lloyd a player the offense needs on the field and described him as a potential explosive playmaker in both the running and passing game.
Then Green Bay gave us an even stronger signal in the preseason.
Against Denver, Lloyd opened the game with the starting offense.
He handled touches during a 12-play touchdown drive and finished it by catching an 11-yard touchdown from Jordan Love on a route out of the backfield.
That is more meaningful to me than Johnson's draft pedigree.
The Packers have spent months evaluating Lloyd in their system.
Johnson is arriving days before the regular season.
Could Johnson eventually pass him? Absolutely.
Has that happened already? There is no evidence of it.
The Josh Jacobs Situation Is Still Unresolved
This trade becomes especially interesting because of the uncertainty surrounding Jacobs.
Jacobs has been charged with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May incident.
The NFL is conducting its own review.
As of this article, the league has not announced a suspension, and we should not invent one.
Matt LaFleur said after Green Bay's preseason finale that he fully expects Jacobs to remain a member of the team.
That addresses Jacobs' roster status.
It does not guarantee that the NFL will not discipline him.
Green Bay has also acknowledged the uncertainty.
Before the Johnson trade, Gutekunst said the Packers had been preparing in case a Jacobs absence occurred and that he felt good about the running backs already in the room.
Now they have added another one.
The timing makes Johnson's acquisition relevant to the Jacobs situation.
It does not prove that Green Bay knows a suspension is coming.
This Is Why I Don't Think Green Bay Has a True Handcuff
Before the trade, Lloyd was the obvious fantasy bet behind Jacobs.
He still is my favorite.
But Johnson's arrival makes it harder to project a one-for-one replacement if Jacobs misses games.
Green Bay can now divide the work among several backs.
MarShawn Lloyd
Lloyd has the best combination of explosiveness, receiving ability and current familiarity with the offense.
If Jacobs misses time, Lloyd is the player I would expect to gain the most fantasy value.
Kaleb Johnson
Johnson brings a 224-pound frame and an early-down rushing profile that could fit well in Green Bay's offense.
If Jacobs were unavailable, Johnson could eventually absorb some of the interior and early-down carries rather than forcing Lloyd into every traditional running-back touch.
Chris Brooks
Brooks should not be forgotten.
Green Bay has repeatedly trusted him to handle different responsibilities, and the Packers' own coverage has described him as capable of doing whatever the offense asks.
That includes the less exciting parts of playing running back — protection, situational work and doing enough things correctly to stay on the field.
Put those three players together, and I do not see a clean handcuff situation.
I see a backfield that would probably become a committee.
Johnson Hurts Lloyd's Contingent Ceiling More Than His Current Role
This is the most important fantasy takeaway from the trade.
Johnson does not make me less interested in Lloyd because I suddenly think Johnson has passed him.
He makes me slightly less interested in Lloyd because there is now another legitimate candidate to receive touches if Jacobs misses games.
Those are different arguments.
Lloyd could still be the most valuable player in that scenario.
But instead of projecting something like 16-18 touches automatically, we now have to account for Johnson potentially handling a piece of the rushing workload and Brooks remaining involved.
That lowers the certainty of Lloyd's injury/suspension upside.
It does not erase it.
The ADP Gap Still Favors Lloyd
Before this trade, FantasyPros' full-PPR consensus ADP had Lloyd around pick 138 / RB44.
Johnson was essentially undrafted in normal leagues, sitting around pick 322 / RB89.
Those numbers will move after the trade.
Johnson should move up.
I just do not think he should move anywhere close to Lloyd yet.
Lloyd has spent the summer earning first-team opportunities and has already shown receiving involvement with Green Bay's starters.
Johnson is joining the offense at the end of August after failing to secure a meaningful role with the Steelers.
If a fantasy room reacts aggressively and starts pushing Johnson into Lloyd's range, I want Lloyd every time.
What This Means for Josh Jacobs' Draft Price
Jacobs remains the most difficult player in this backfield to price.
His current full-PPR ADP sits around RB16 / pick 32.
On the football side, that price is completely understandable.
Jacobs has been an elite fantasy producer in Green Bay and remains the clear lead back when available.
The problem is that fantasy managers are drafting before we know whether NFL discipline will affect his 2026 season.
Johnson's arrival does not tell us what the league will do.
What it does tell us is that Green Bay continues to add insurance.
I am not treating that as proof of an incoming suspension.
I am treating it as another reason not to pretend there is zero uncertainty.
My Fantasy Read
I'm still drafting MarShawn Lloyd before Kaleb Johnson.
The trade makes Johnson worth adding to deep-league watch lists and taking with a final-round pick in formats where I can afford to hold another running back.
But I am not calling him Josh Jacobs' new handcuff.
Lloyd has spent the summer getting first-team work, caught a touchdown from Jordan Love with the starting offense and has received consistent praise from Green Bay.
Johnson is arriving after rushing for 69 yards as a rookie and falling down Pittsburgh's depth chart.
If Jacobs misses time, I want Lloyd first — but I now expect a committee more than a clean Lloyd takeover.
That is the actual fantasy impact of this trade.
Lloyd's role is still better. His contingent ceiling just became a little less certain.
And until the NFL makes a decision on Jacobs, I am not assuming any suspension length — or even that a suspension will occur in 2026.