The Green Bay Packers will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card Weekend. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Josh Jacobs.
Is Josh Jacobs Playing vs. the Eagles?
Jacobs is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Packers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Josh Jacobs on Wild Card Weekend?
Jacobs has rushed for a touchdown in a franchise-record eight straight games and averaged 5.1 yards per carry over his past three. He’s been able to add value in the passing game, catching each of his past 13 targets, and is peaking at the perfect time
The Packers have fully committed to Jacobs being their offensive guiding light (third in rush rate over expectation this season), and it’s largely working. That said, there is some risk in this game situation with the Packers expected to trail.
Like every team, Green Bay prioritizes the pass when trailing. Their dropback rate is 15.3 percentage points higher when trailing than when ahead (league average difference: 14.7 percentage points), which certainly needs to be considered in this discussion.
Add to the projected game script the fact that these are the two highest-rush-rate teams in the league (fueling a bottom-10 pace), and I don’t think Jacobs has a great chance at averaging the 19.8 touches that he averaged per game this season.
Philadelphia allows a touchdown on just 17.5% of drives (third best in the NFL; league average: 22.7%), giving Jacobs one fewer path to success. I will not have much Green Bay exposure, be it in DFS or postseason-long formats, and Jacobs is the most expensive of the bunch.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Josh Jacobs’ Fantasy Points Projection on Wild Card Weekend
As of Sunday, Jacobs is projected to score 16.5 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 18.2 rushing attempts for 78.6 yards and 0.5 touchdowns. It also includes 3 receptions for 21.8 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Eagles' Defense
The Philadelphia Eagles narrowed the gap between themselves and the Broncos over the last month but ultimately have to settle for a second-place finish. Still, the Eagles can enter the postseason feeling good after a dominant three-month finish following a shaky September.
Our metrics weigh pass defense more heavily than run defense, and the Eagles finished with the highest defensive pass success rate of any team this season (60.4%).
As a result, the Eagles allowed the fewest yards per play for any defense this season (4.7). Effective and disciplined rushing attacks can theoretically control the clock with successful runs against Philadelphia, who "only" rank ninth in rushing success rate. But that's a thin needle to thread, as any defense that can tamp down explosive plays will be tough to score on.
There isn't a single statistical flaw in Philadelphia's defense, which ranks top 10 in every metric that encompasses the Defense+ grades (except for sack rate, where they're 15th). That makes them an incredibly dangerous threat to win the NFC, even without the top seed.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Josh Jacobs’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday, January 12. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Wild Card Superflex Rankings.
Wild Card RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. GB)
2) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. WAS)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PIT)
4) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. MIN)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at PHI)
6) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. LAC)
7) Aaron Jones | MIN (at LAR)
8) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at HOU)
9) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at TB)
10) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at BAL)
11) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at BUF)
12) Najee Harris | PIT (at BAL)
13) Cam Akers | MIN (at LAR)
14) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PIT)
15) Javonte Williams | DEN (at BUF)
16) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at TB)
17) Gus Edwards | LAC (at HOU)
18) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. GB)
19) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at PHI)
20) Rachaad White | TB (vs. WAS)
21) James Cook | BUF (vs. DEN)
22) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. DEN)
23) Audric Estimé | DEN (at BUF)
24) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. DEN)
25) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at HOU)
26) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. LAC)
27) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. LAC)
28) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at BAL)
29) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at TB)
30) Chris Brooks | GB (at PHI)
31) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. GB)
32) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. WAS)
33) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at HOU)
34) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (vs. MIN)
35) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. PIT)
36) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at TB)
37) C.J. Ham | MIN (at LAR)
38) Michael Burton | DEN (at BUF)
39) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. PIT)
40) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PIT)
41) Ty Chandler | MIN (at LAR)
42) Tyrion Davis-Price | PHI (vs. GB)
43) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (vs. DEN)
44) Tyler Badie | DEN (at BUF)
45) Ellis Merriweather | GB (at PHI)
46) Michael Wiley | WAS (at TB)
47) Cody Schrader | LAR (vs. MIN)
48) Blake Watson | DEN (at BUF)
49) J.J. Taylor | HOU (vs. LAC)
50) Aaron Shampklin | PIT (at BAL)
51) Jaret Patterson | LAC (at HOU)
52) Khari Blasingame | CHI ()
53) Jonathan Ward | PIT (at BAL)
54) Frank Gore Jr. | BUF (vs. DEN)
Packers at Eagles Trends and Insights
Green Bay Packers
Team: It was a difficult end to the season, but the Packers posted their second-best point differential during the Matt LaFleur era (+122)
QB: In Weeks 11-16, Jordan Love’s pressured passer rating was 107.2, a number that has plummeted to 53.6 in two consecutive losses to round out the regular season.
Offense: Green Bay is just 3-5 this season when failing to convert over one-third of its third downs (three-of-10 against the Bears in Week 18).
Defense: The Packers lost on Sunday despite allowing just 18.5 yards per drive (they were 5-0 this season when allowing under 25 yards per drive prior).
Fantasy: Josh Jacobs has rushed for a touchdown in a franchise-record eight straight games and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry over his past three games. He’s been able to add value in the passing game, catching each of his past 13 targets.
Betting: Since 2003, unders are 17-6-1 (73.9%) in Eagles playoff games, the second highest rate among franchises with at least five playoff games over that stretch (exception: Titans at 81.8%).
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles have lost six of their past eight playoff games outright when favored (four Wild Card games are included in that sample, all losses).
QB: Jalen Hurts (and the coaching staff) is trusting his reads longer, a continued trend from the past few seasons. His quick pass rate in 2022 was 69.8% – it dipped to 61.7% in 2023 and finished this year at 57.3%.
Offense: Philadelphia was outscored by 14 points in the first quarter this season—just one of the past 12 Super Bowl champions has had a negative first-quarter point differential (2020 Buccaneers).
Defense: In Weeks 1-17, the Eagles were 12-0 when allowing 2.0 or fewer points per drive (1-3 otherwise).
Fantasy: Saquon Barkley led the position in top-10 PPR performances this season (10) despite not playing last week.
Betting: From 2013-20, home teams on Wild Card weekend were just 8-17-3 ATS (32%), but since 2021, when the shift to an 18-week regular season began, they have been 11-7 ATS (61.1%).