Who Should I Start? MarShawn Lloyd or Emari Demercado

Thursday, May 22, 10:50 PM

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman writes that Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd (appendix) is currently healthy and without restrictions during offseason work as he heads into his sophomore season in the NFL. Lloyd, a third-round pick last year, was supposed to be Josh Jacobs' backup in 2024 while providing an intriguing speed and pass-catching element to the backfield, but injuries limited him to just one game. A healthy Lloyd should easily be Jacobs' backup despite Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks exceeding expectations a year ago. In addition to appendicitis, Lloyd missed time last year with ankle and hamstring injuries. He is extremely talented and has the tools to eventually be a three-down back in the NFL, but after a lost rookie season, he'll pretty much only be a handcuff for Jacobs in ingle-year fantasy leagues in 2025.

Saturday, December 14, 4:43 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (back) has been placed on the injured reserve. Demercado has 24 rushes for 223 yards and a rushing touchdown this season and has added 16 catches for 104 receiving yards. Demercado's absence will likely open the door for more involvement for backup running back Trey Benson behind starter James Conner. Benson has some sneaky speculative pickup value with Demercado out and Conner himself being pretty injury-prone.