Who Should I Start? MarShawn Lloyd or Braelon Allen

Thursday, July 17, 10:38 PM

Last year, Green Bay Packers running backs Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks shared backup duties behind bell-cow Josh Jacobs. But their biggest challenger for the No. 2 job in 2025 comes from MarShawn Lloyd, writes Packers.com's Mike Spofford. The third-rounder out of USC in 2024 was derailed by injuries in his rookie season, first by a hip injury early in training camp and then a hamstring injury in the preseason. Lloyd injured his ankle in his lone regular-season appearance in Week 2 and then had appendicitis that required emergency surgery when he was on the verge of coming off Injured Reserve. The 5-foot-9, 220-pounder offers an intriguing mix of speed, shiftiness and power that will make him an interesting handcuff option for fantasy managers that draft Jacobs. In addition to beating out Wilson and Brooks, Lloyd will need to solve ball-security issues he had in college.

Wednesday, July 23, 10:58 AM

New York Jets beat reporter Nick Faria writes that running back Braelon Allen is a perfect fit for this type of offense and is expected to be a regular contributor in a committee approach. Breece Hall is the starter in the Jets offense in the backfield, but Allen and Isaiah Davis will be involved. Allen, a fourth-rounder (134th overall) in 2024 out of Wisconsin, had 92 carries in his rookie season and gained 334 yards on the ground with two touchdowns in 17 games (two starts). He added 19 receptions for 148 yards and another score. The 21-year-old is built as more of a power back with limited speed, but he also proved early last year that he's polished as a pass-catcher. He lost opportunities to Davis down the stretch in 2024, but it's good news for Allen that the Jets want to be a dominant run-first offense under the new coaching staff. Allen's best path to fantasy relevance will be as a goal-line back.