Fantasy Football Player Notes

Packers first-round draft pick Matthew Golden is a burner who runs crisp routes and has sure hands. Film guys such as Mel Kiper Jr., Daniel Jeremiah and Dane Brugler love him and ranked him as a top-15 overall prospect in this year's NFL Draft. But Golden's college production profile raises some red flags. Golden has a chance to make an immediate impact for the Packers, who selected him 23rd overall. Golden should be able to earn significant rookie-year targets among a group of receivers that includes Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. The Packers also have Christian Watson, but he might miss most of 2025 after sustaining a major knee injury late last year.

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. Reed is also dealing with a foot issue that could hinder him this season. 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.

Out of the cloudy receiving picture in Green Bay, Romeo Doubs is the wide receiver I want to draft this season. On the surface, there doesn't appear to be much cause for being over the moon for Doubs, but hear me out. Last year, he finished as the WR47 in fantasy points per game, but he was the clear leader of the Green Bay Packers receiver room, and underneath the surface, he POPS in a number of metrics that matter. Doubs was the only receiver for Green Bay that eclipsed a 75% route share (team-leading 76.7%) while leading the team in target share (18.7%) and first-read share (23.6%). He posted a solid 1.90 yards per route run while ranking 25th among 85 qualifying receivers in first downs per route run (0.104, per Fantasy Points Data). Here's where things get really interesting: Doubs, last year among 112 qualifying receivers, ranked 11th in separation and second in route win rate. Doubs could be quietly headed for a massive breakout season, and with the addition of Matthew Golden and the Packers' run-heavy approach last year, it's not priced into his ADP at all. He's one of my favorite late-round dart throws this season.

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.