Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs picked up a groin injury that will keep him out for “at least this week,” per head coach Matt LaFleur. That timeline is worth watching carefully.
Jacobs missed the Packers’ first preseason game with the injury, and while nobody is panicking yet, groin injuries for running backs have a nasty habit of lingering. Any player who cuts, plants, and generates lateral power off his hips is vulnerable to reinjury if he comes back too soon.
Why Green Bay Cannot Afford Jacobs to Miss Time
The Packers’ offense runs through the run game. That is by design. Matt LaFleur builds his play-action attack around a punishing ground game, and Jacobs is the engine.
Without Jacobs, Green Bay’s playbook shrinks. Play-action becomes less effective. Third-and-short conversions get harder. The offense becomes more predictable, which makes Jordan Love’s job harder.
Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks are capable backups. They are not Josh Jacobs. Nobody in the Packers’ backfield is Josh Jacobs, and that is exactly the point.
The Groin Injury Timeline
Grade 1 groin strains are typically one to two weeks. Grade 2 strains are three to four weeks. Grade 3 tears can push to six weeks or longer.
The “at least this week” language from LaFleur points to something in the lower grade range. If Jacobs were dealing with a serious tear, we would already be hearing about a multi-week absence.
The tricky part is that groin injuries reinjure at higher rates than most soft-tissue issues. Jacobs cannot just be cleared. He has to be actually healed, and the Packers cannot afford to rush him back and lose him again.
What This Means for Fantasy Football
Every fantasy owner who invested a first- or second-round pick on Jacobs is going to be watching this closely. Draft season is happening right now, and preseason injury news moves ADP dramatically.
Jacobs is still worth drafting at his current cost, but do not be surprised if he slides a round or so in later drafts. The upside is enormous when he is healthy. The floor is scary if he keeps missing time.
Green Bay’s Bigger Picture
The Packers are one of the deeper teams in the NFC. Jordan Love is entering his fourth year as a starter and looks ready to take the leap. Tucker Kraft just returned from ACL surgery. The defense is loaded with young talent.
Jacobs’ health is one of the few things that could keep the whole thing from clicking. Green Bay needs him upright and productive. Any long-term issue with this groin problem changes the ceiling of the entire season.
Expect the Packers to hold Jacobs out of the remaining preseason games regardless of how he feels. There is no reason to risk it. The regular season is where he needs to show up healthy, and Green Bay will do everything possible to make sure he is.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
