Who Should I Start? Antonio Gibson or Marshawn Lloyd

Sunday, January 5, 8:17 PM

New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson rushed for 41 yards on 12 carries during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also caught four of his six targets for an additional 20 yards through the air. Gibson remained the Patriots' primary running back on Sunday, playing 65.6 percent of the offensive snaps. Terrell Jennings played 37.5 percent of the snaps, and interestingly, Rhamondre Stevenson didn't step foot on the field for a single down. Stevenson has been in the doghouse following a costly Week 16 fumble, registering just two carries since then. Gibson is still under contract with the Patriots for two more years, which means there's a strong chance he enters 2025 as the team's primary running back. Of course, a lot could change between now and Week 1 of next year, especially with New England set to bring in a new coaching staff.

Wednesday, January 8, 9:14 PM

Per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd (appendix, hamstring) has been transferred to injured reserve, and his season is officially over. The 24-year-old was moved to injured reserve from the reserve/non-football illness list after recovering from appendicitis but still experiencing issues with his hamstring. It's a lost season for the rookie, who appeared in one game -- Week 2 in the team's win over the Indianapolis Colts -- playing ten snaps. Lloyd injured his hamstring in the preseason but was healthy enough to be active for their meeting with the Colts. However, he'd suffer a severe ankle sprain that would keep him out of action -- and on IR -- for seven weeks. Upon his return to team activities, he re-aggravated the hamstring injury suffered in the summer but would need immediate surgery on his appendix. Though he could recover from his surgery, the hamstring ailment is still an issue. The Packers plan to send the first-year pro to the same institute that wideout Christian Watson (knee) attended last offseason in an effort to quell the hamstring issues he had since his rookie season. While Watson just had his year cut short by a knee injury, he did not miss a single contest because of his hamstring in 2024. We'll see Lloyd again in 2025.