Brenton Strange or MarShawn Lloyd: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Strange edges Lloyd on role security, but neither is a comfortable start

Strange wins this narrow comparison because his starting role and steady snap base are more bankable than Lloyd's explosive but unstable change-of-pace role. Jacksonville's lower team total and New England's difficult tight-end matchup cap Strange's ceiling, while Lloyd's favorable game script is undermined by his Week 2 fumble and disappearance afterward (ESPN 2026-09-21). Strange is the better bench option, but Lloyd's receiving burst remains the path to beating him if his role returns.

What flips it: A clear restoration of Lloyd's early-down role.

Sources: ESPN · Sep 21, 2026

AI editor

In standard scoring this is a coin flip.

Brenton Strange

Brenton Strange

TE19JAXvs NE

Projected Points

Sit
MarShawn Lloyd

MarShawn Lloyd

RB33GBvs ATL

Projected Points

Sit· medium

Brenton Strange’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+280
Anytime Touchdown Props →

MarShawn Lloyd’s market

RUSH YDS
O/U 28.5
-114 / -114
REC
O/U 1.5
+162 / -220
REC YDS
O/U 5.5
-114 / -114
ATD
Anytime TD
+180
NE@
JAXSun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
ATL@
GBThu, Sep 24, 8:15 PM ETView the game →

Why Brenton Strange

Sit

Starting TE and ascending pass-catcher. Athletic seam target with adequate in-line blocking.

Sit — bench-tier TE at consensus TE19: NE is the 3rd-toughest matchup vs TEs, 10% target share.

  • His ascending seam role gives him a usable floor, though the matchup can erase his limited target volume.
  • Strange's starting job is more secure than Lloyd's, making his lower ceiling easier to trust.

Why MarShawn Lloyd

Sit· medium

RB1-listed change-of-pace back. Explosive burst and receiving upside; minimal NFL sample due to injuries.

16 snaps, a fourth-quarter fumble and zero touches after it — Lloyd's role is shrinking behind Kaleb Johnson, and RB33 with a 4% target share isn't startable.

  • A likely positive script gives Lloyd touchdown access if Green Bay gets him back on the field consistently.
  • His screen-game explosiveness can quickly outpace Strange, but only with restored touches.

The call

  • ESPN's report is damning for usage: Lloyd played only 16 offensive snaps in Week 2, lost a fourth-quarter fumble, and never touched the ball again, ceding early-down work to Kaleb Johnson in overtime.
  • A 36% snap share and 4% target share give him no PPR floor; RB33 on a 8.6-point projection is below replacement in a 12-team league.
  • The matchup doesn't bail him out either — Atlanta ranks 9 of 32 in defense-vs-RB composite, toward the tougher end.
  • Green Bay's 27.0 implied total and -7.5 spread are the one thing in his favor; if Lloyd is confirmed as the lead back on a short Thursday turnaround, he becomes a flex dart, but until then bench him.

Latest on Lloyd

Role

Lloyd scored his first career TD on a screen pass in Week 2 but played only 16 total offensive snaps, lost a fourth-quarter fumble, and never touched the ball again after that, ceding early-down work to Kaleb Johnson in overtime.

ESPN · Sep 21, 2026

ESPN notes it's fair to wonder about Lloyd's role heading into the Week 3 Thursday night game at Atlanta given his fumble and diminished usage after it in Week 2.

ESPN · Sep 21, 2026
Expectations for Packers' MarShawn Lloyd with Josh Jacobs out

Lloyd is finally healthy and Josh Jacobs is on the commissioner exempt list, but how much of a workload can Lloyd handle in Week 1?

ESPN · Sep 9, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricBrenton StrangeMarShawn Lloyd
Projected points
Consensus rankTE19RB33
Opponent vs positionNE · 3 of 322-game sampleATL · 9 of 322-game sample
Receptions4 of 3220 of 32
Receiving Yards4 of 3211 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 32—
Targets3 of 32—
Anytime TD1 of 328 of 32
Rushing Yards—6 of 32
Rushing TDs—1 of 32
Rushing Attempts—9 of 32
Target share10%4%
Reception share11%5%
Implied total · spread23.5-1.527.0-7.5
Depth chartTE1RB1
Snap share76%36%
Start/Sit record—0–1+1 toss-up

Recent form

Brenton Strange — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs DEN
Week 1vs CLE

MarShawn Lloyd — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs NYJ
Week 1vs MIN

Signal breakdown

  • 7.9 vs 8.6 projected PPR pointsMarShawn Lloyd +
  • Rank 19 vs 33Brenton Strange +
  • Opponent DvP rank 3 vs 9 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 23.5 vs 27.0 team pointsMarShawn Lloyd +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 76% vs 36% snap shareBrenton Strange +

Compare different players

Week 3220 players
Player A
vs
Player B

Every fantasy-relevant player this week — search or filter by position.

More Strange comparisons

More Lloyd comparisons

This week’s toughest calls

Start/Sit Board•Weekly Rankings•Streamers•Sleepers & Busts•Waiver Wire•My Team•MLB NRFI Board•Free Tools•NFL Props•NFL Games

Get a Start/Sit call on your whole roster →

Save your team once and see a Start, Sit, or Toss-Up verdict on every player, every week — with the matchup, usage and game-script evidence behind each call.

Add to My Team — free

Or browse this week’s NFL games or NFL player props.