Fantasy Impact: Josh Jacobs to Packers
With the free agency frenzy well underway, one of the bigger surprising moves was running back Josh Jacobs leaving the Las Vegas Raiders and joining the Green Bay Packers. Jacobs had been with the Raiders since he was drafted there in 2019. The Packers gave him a nice four-year contract for $48 Million, but only $12 million is guaranteed. With the signing of the Pro Bowl running back, Aaron Jones was released shortly after that. Who then went on to join division rival, Minnesota Vikings. The team then went on to retain running back AJ Dillon. So, Jacobs joins a running back room that will have AJ Dillon, Patrick Taylor, and Emmanuel Wilson currently per their team website.
Josh Jacobs is still elite📝 pic.twitter.com/ZNfI6blgRg
— RR🧀🐺🇪🇷 (@ReallyRichx2) March 12, 2024
For fantasy football, Jacobs has found himself in a great situation. He should theoretically have the majority of the workload in that running back room, and with the emergence of Jordan Love last season, this offense could be really fun to watch in 2024. An area in Josh Jacob’s game that may improve drastically for fantasy football is his utilization of the passing game. While he was the main lead back for the Raiders, they never really used him to catch passes. They would rely on Ameer Abdullah for that. Jacobs had only 37 receptions last year for 296 yards.
But looking at the 2023 Packers team, it is clear that Jordan Love utilizes his running backs in the passing game. In 2023, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined for 52 receptions on 71 targets for 456 yards and 1 touchdown.
Josh Jacobs is a complete back in this day in age NFL, and if the Packers can put an emphasis on that and use this part of his game, he could be even better for Fantasy Football. While AJ Dillon does remain on the team, Jacobs should have complete control of that running back room. The biggest thing for Jacobs will be remaining healthy. Through 5 NFL seasons, he has only finished one complete season and that was 2022 when he was the NFL’s leading rusher. Another thing to be mindful of, taking an early look at the 2024 Packers schedule, it appears that they have the fourth-hardest schedule for 2024. Josh Jacobs is an all-around NFL running back and can do it all, despite an injury-riddled 2023 season, and an offense that was led by rookie QB Aidan O Connell, Jacobs was still able to rush for 805 yards with 6 touchdowns in only 13 games.
Josh Jacobs landed in a great situation for his fantasy value in 2024 with the Green Bay Packers. This new, young offense exploded late down the stretch in 2023 and gave signs of hope in 2024. Jacobs is entering the prime of his career as he is 26 years old, and although he has only been in the league for 5 years, he has had 3 different head coaches with the Raiders. With the Packers, he is going to a team, locker room, and organization that has had some longevity at the leadership spots.
All of these key points and signs lead to Jacobs maintaining his fantasy value and remaining a workhorse in this league. The only thing that would adjust my very optimistic views on Jacobs in 2024, would be if the Packers added a back early in the 2024 NFL draft to add into the rotation. But for right now, I can see Jacobs returning to his dominant self with a new organization in 2024.
Josh Jacobs’ last touchdown as a Raider definitely went out with a bang pic.twitter.com/qEsUHV0caI
— vegas (@vegastiming) March 15, 2024
