Fantasy Football Player Notes

Jayden Reed led the Packers in receptions (55) and receiving yards (857) last season, but it's hard to think of him as Green Bay's lead receiver when you consider that he had a 63% snap share in 2024 and typically wasn't on the field when the Packers used two-receiver sets. The Packers drafted WR Matthew Golden in the first round of this year's draft, and third-round WR Savion Williams could potentially be used on the sort of gadget plays that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been drawing up for Reed the last two years. Perhaps the best selling point for Reed is that in the 31 career games he's played with QB Jordan Love, Reed has scored 17 touchdowns.

Well, Golden got the draft capital alley-oop as the Packers bucked their previous trend and sent the card to the podium in the first round of the NFL Draft. I'll lead this off by saying I was lower than consensus regarding Golden. With the selection of Golden and then the team following that up by selecting Savion Williams (round 3) later in the NFL Draft, I don't think Golden will be the team's "true WR1." Those correlated moves speak more to Green Bay continuing their wide receiver-by-committee approach. Even if they don't and the team seeks to run more of the offense through Golden, I don't know if he has the high-end target-drawing ability to reward their faith. Golden finished his collegiate career with an 18.7% target per route run rate and 1.85 yards per route run (per PFF). Neither of those metrics screams "future alpha WR1" in the NFL. Despite my pessimism, Golden's draft capital alone necessitates that he is worth a late-round selection in redraft this season.

Romeo Doubs enters the final year of his rookie deal after a concussion-plagued 2024 season in which he finished as the WR57 overall (WR51 per game). Despite leading the Packers in routes per game and target share (19%), his fantasy impact remained limited. With first-round rookie Matthew Golden now in the mix and likely to compete for Doubs' reps, his role is under threat - especially given the overlap in usage. At best, Doubs profiles as a touchdown-dependent WR3/flex play.

Dontayvion Wicks entered 2024 as a trendy breakout pick but fell flat, finishing 87th in fantasy points per game (5.4) despite leading the Packers in targets. He repeated his 39-catch total from his rookie season, but his efficiency collapsed - dropping to 1.41 yards per route run (74th) after nearly 2.0 as a rookie. Drops (9) and underwhelming production plagued a season where he still posted a strong 29% target rate per route and ranked 4th in ESPN's Open Score. The Packers' selection of first-round WR Matthew Golden casts doubt on Wicks' short/long-term role, especially with Christian Watson's absence opening up competition. As a former Day 3 pick, Wicks is running out of chances to secure a consistent spot.