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The Packers offense will be one to avoid in fantasy football with Jordan Love’s knee injury. Blaine Grisak breaks it all down.
For a third consecutive week, the Green Bay Packers could be without quarterback Jordan Love as he continues to rehab from a knee injury suffered in Week 1. Over the past two weeks, the Packers have managed to win with quarterback Malik Willis under center. However, with a very important division matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Packers will hope to have their starting quarterback available.
Jordan Love injury status
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Love will be listed as questionable against the Vikings. Schefter went on the Pat McAfee show on Friday and said that his sense was that it will be Love starting on Sunday. Love seemed closer to playing last week against the Tennessee Titans, but was eventually ruled out. The Packers quarterback has yet to practice in a full capacity as he was limited all week. He did workout in pads, but hasn’t been able to do enough to earn a full practice designation.
The fact that quarterback Malik Willis has been able to manage the Packers offense in Love’s absence could also factor into Green Bay’s decision. Willis has performed well over the past two weeks as the backup quarterback. Not many would have expected Willis to win both of his starts, but that’s exactly what’s happened. Still, this is an important division game early in the season that will give the winner the upper hand in the NFC North.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini,
“Love is progressing faster than expected. The goal was always to get him back for this divisional game against the (undefeated) Vikings, but ideally, the most likely scenario would be Week 5 against the Rams. If he plays on Sunday, Love won’t be 100 percent, but keep an eye on LaFleur possibly using Willis in a package to keep the Vikings on their toes — even if Willis doesn’t start, he could get on the field.”
This is something that the Packers may wait until game time to decide.
How does Jordan Love’s injury affect fantasy football?
Despite Love being out over the past two weeks, the Packers have been able to remain efficient on offense. In Week 2, Josh Jacobs was able to put together a RB2 performance with 13.1 points as the RB23. Wide receiver Jayden Reed was back in double-digits last week while Willis finished as the QB6.
With that said, the Vikings offer a unique challenge on defense. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is coaching one of the best defenses so far this season. The Vikings have blitzed at a rate of 38.6 percent on defense is the second-highest rate in the NFL. If it’s Willis under center, Flores will throw everything at the young quarterback to try and fluster him and if it’s Love, he may not be as mobile with the knee injury to effectively avoid a pass rush.
Additionally, the Vikings have the second-best run defense if the Packers try to lean on the run game. So far this season, the Vikings have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to running backs and the fewest adjusted yards before contact.
Even if Love starts, the Packers offense may be one to avoid in Week 4 in fantasy football. The Vikings defense could make things very difficult no matter who is under center. If there is one player to start, it’s Josh Jacobs. The Packers will likely have a run-heavy game-plan which works in Jacobs’ favor from a pure volume perspective.
