Who Should I Start? Marshawn Lloyd or Frank Gore Jr.

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.

Monday, October 14, 6:10 PM

The Buffalo Bills elevated rookie running back Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster for Monday night's divisional showdown against the New York Jets. This could be a sign that James Cook (toe), who was listed as questionable to play in Week 6, may not be available to play on Monday night. But the Bills could also be electing for extra backfield depth behind Cook, Ty Johnson and rookie Ray Davis. Fantasy managers should know Cook's official status for Monday's primetime contest in another hour. The 22-year-old Gore hasn't played at all through the first five weeks of his rookie season in the NFL after going undrafted out of Southern Miss. At best, Gore could see some short-yardage work for Buffalo whenever he makes his NFL debut, but he can be ignored in all single-year fantasy formats for the time being.