Christian Watson's Health Imperative For Packers WR Corps
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) finally feels he's in a good place injury-wise following his offseason visit to a local specialist. As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes, "keeping Watson on the field is paramount for this group to reach its potential since he might be their biggest game breaker." The Packers have one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the NFL, but that doesn't negate the fact that having the former first-rounder healthy would be huge for Jordan Love and the Packers' progression. "Maybe Year 3 is the one we finally see in consistent stretches the brilliance we've seen from Watson in spurts over the last two seasons," Schneidman added. Watson caught 28 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 as his faulty hamstring limited him to just nine games. His inability to stay healthy so far has dropped him to the WR4 range for fantasy football, but he could see his value rise by playing close to 17 games in 2024.
Christian Watson Hoping To Move Past Hamstring Issues
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) said this week that he's made significant progress toward ending his hamstring issues for good. Tests this offseason showed a muscle imbalance in his legs, which likely contributed to his problems -- he has missed 11 games in his first two seasons, including eight in 2023, due to a pulled right hamstring. Packers coaches have raved about the progress Watson has made so far this year, and the 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2022 out of North Dakota State looked explosive as a full participant in organized team activities on Tuesday. Watson had a 20% difference in muscle mass between his right and left legs. Now, it's between 8% and 10%. It's interesting news, but most fantasy managers may still be hesitant to roster a player with the injury history he has early in his career. But when healthy, Watson has the most upside of any of Green Bay's current wideouts.
Christian Watson "In A Great Place" With Hamstring Injury
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) has looked like a star at times through the first two seasons of his NFL career, but lingering hamstring issues caused the former second-round pick to miss eight games in 2023. The organization is focused on how to prevent flare-ups moving forward, and passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said Watson is "in a great place now" with his hamstring. The 24-year-old has plenty of big-play ability and has racked up 1,033 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns through his first 23 games, but he's become tough to trust in fantasy football due to his availability concerns. Hopefully, he really has turned a corner, because he could have at least WR2 upside catching passes from breakout quarterback Jordan Love. Green Bay is sure to be more careful in managing his reps in hopes of keeping him on the field.
Packers Gather More Data On Christian Watson's Injury
The Green Bay Packers feel that they have a better grasp of where wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) stands after he underwent a body scan at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this offseason with the hope of preventing future flare-ups. Watson has battled hamstring injuries in both of his two seasons in the NFL, with the 6-foot-4, 208-pounder missing eight games in 2023, playing just 446 offensive snaps. It hasn't just been hamstring injuries for the 24-year-old, and he's played in only 23 games in his first two seasons to quickly develop an injury-prone label. But when healthy, he's caught 69 of 119 targets for 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding two rushing scores. There's intriguing upside given the nature of Green Bay's improving offense under quarterback Jordan Love, but Watson's durability makes him a risk/reward fantasy selection heading into his third year.
Christian Watson Hoping To Resolve Lower-Body Injuries This Offseason
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has played in just 23 of 34 possible games since being selected by the organization in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, mostly due to lower-body injuries. This season, the speedster was held out of eight games because of lingering hamstring issues. According to Ryan Wood of USA Today, Watson is planning to undergo offseason tests to understand why he's had so many hamstring injuries. On resolving the issue, Watson said "I'm not going to say it's my fault, but it's my body, so I need to take accountability for it." The 24-year-old has flashed big-play ability when healthy, averaging 15.0 yards per reception to start his career. However, his inability to be available has been an issue for him and the Packers' young offense. If he can stay healthy, he has plenty of fantasy football upside in 2024, especially now that Jordan Love looks like a high-end franchise quarterback.
Christian Watson Has Just One Catch Saturday Night
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson caught one of his two targets for an 11-yard gain during the team's 21-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The second-year receiver was an afterthought in the Packer's passing attack for the second week in a row and nabbed just one reception. It brings an end to a disappointing season riddled with injury for Watson, who had a good three-game stretch from Weeks 11-13 but did little else all year. Fantasy managers are going to enter the offseason questioning whether or not Watson is the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver after a strong campaign from rookie Jayden Reed and the slew of other weapons at the Packers' disposal. The 24-year-old will not cost nearly as much as he did in drafts last year, but his value may fluctuate heading into the 2024 regular season.
Christian Watson Should Be More Involved Against 49ers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson will go on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday. The second-year receiver was limited in practice this week due to a lingering hamstring injury but was left off the final injury report. Last week marked Watson's first game since Week 13, but he caught just one pass for nine yards and played only 41% of the snaps. His role should increase this week as he is another week removed from the injury that cost him the end of the regular season. San Francisco has struggled at times to stop wide receivers this past season and is tied for the ninth-most touchdowns allowed in the position. Watson is an incredibly risky play, but knowing he can have a multi-touchdown game at any time, he could be worth the price as a flex in DFS formats.
Christian Watson, Jayden Reed Limited In Practice Again
Green Bay Packers wide receivers Christian Watson (hamstring) and Jayden Reed (chest) were both listed as limited in practice for the second straight day this week on Wednesday. Watson missed the final games of the regular season but returned for the wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and played just 41 percent of the offensive snaps while catching one pass for a nine-yard gain. The 24-year-old should see the field more on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers, but it's a bad matchup and Green Bay's impressive receiver depth is going to make it difficult for Watson to make a difference for fantasy managers. Reed, meanwhile, played just 26 of 56 snaps against Dallas and didn't catch any of his three targets. The 23-year-old rookie did have 10 total touchdowns in 2023, but he'll be a touchdown-dependent DFS play against San Fran.
Green Bay Packers wide receivers Christian Watson (hamstring) and Jayden Reed (chest) were both listed as limited on the team's estimated practice report on Tuesday. Watson made his return in Sunday's wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys after missing the final five games of the regular season. It was an unceremonious return, as he caught just one pass for nine yards. It was better than what Reed did, though, as the impressive rookie failed to catch a pass on three targets. Both wideouts will be looking to bounce back in the Divisional Round, but it won't be easy against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense and with quarterback Jordan Love spreading the ball around to receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks and tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft as well. Watson is still getting his legs back under him and could be limited again, making him extremely risky in DFS.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson caught his lone target for a nine-yard gain during the team's 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The second-year receiver had been out since Week 14 due to a hamstring injury that he suffered the week prior but made his return to action Sunday after being limited in practice all week. The Packers eased him back onto the field, and with only 21 passes thrown by Green Bay all game, there were few targets to be spread around the now-healthy receiving corps. Expect Watson to have his snap share increase next week when the Packers go on the road to take on the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers.
