general
Where Is the 2026 Fantasy Value in Green Bay?
The article discusses the 2026 fantasy value of the Green Bay Packers, highlighting the potential of Christian Watson, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed
Christian Watson
WR · GB · 27 yrs · exp 4 · North Dakota State
Status
- Game status
- Active
Keep Trade Cut (SF TEP)
From latest snapshot · trend vs ~7d prior when data allows.
Value
3,637
Rank
#113
Pos rank
#36
7d trend
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Value history (90d)
One snapshot point per calendar day (shown in your timezone).
Latest: May 22, 2026 · 3,637
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
general
NFL to increase international games, end home game protections
By the end of the 2026 season, after the Dallas Cowboys play in Mexico City, the Green Bay Packers will have played the fewest games internationally of any NFL club. That could be changing in the near future. On Tuesday, the NFL’s owners approved the league to schedule 10 international games moving forward, up from the 8 that are on the books for the 2026 season. Maybe more importantly, though, owners also passed a rule that takes away teams’ ability to block specific home games from playing overseas. Currently, teams have the right to protect two home opponents from being played at an international site. This is significant because it’s been made known that the Detroit Lions wanted to keep their matchup against the Packers in Detroit, eliminating Green Bay from having to travel to Germany this year. On top of that, it’s also been rumored that the New Orleans Saints protected their game against the Packers, which kept Green Bay from a Paris matchup. Under these new rules, it’s possible the green and gold would have been playing overseas in 2026. Due to a lot of different factors, the Packers have only played two games outside of the United States so far. Moving forward, though, it’s going to be harder and harder to keep Green Bay stateside for an entire regular-season slate
analyst
Can Matthew Golden Re-Establish His Dynasty Value in 2026?
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden struggled to live up to his first-round draft pedigree as a rookie in 2025, recording just 29 receptions for 361 yards on 44 targets across 14 games. The 22-year-old has yet to score his first NFL touchdown, and he played more than half of the Packers' offensive snaps in just one game after Week 8 last season. However, Green Bay lost a pair of wide receivers over the offseason, trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles and letting Romeo Doubs walk in free agency. While Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are still currently ahead of Golden on the team's wide receiver depth chart, Golden should have a clearer path to a consistent role in 2026. Green Bay has traditionally operated an egalitarian passing game under head coach Matt LaFleur, so dynasty managers should be cautious in projecting Golden's target upside. Still, Golden has clear buy-low appeal entering his second NFL season
general
Packers Roster: The biggest question for every unit going into camp
The Green Bay Packers’ summer roster is mostly set, as the team has just one open roster spot available at the time of this article. I took the time to go position-by-position through the Packers’ roster and pin down what the biggest question I have for each position group going into camp, the things I’ll be keeping an eye on when real practices begin. As a reminder, OTAs start next week (voluntary workouts started pre-draft, and there haven’t been any reported holdouts) and minicamp will kick off on June 9th. Jordan Love is locked into the starting job for the foreseeable future, so the quarterback drama in Green Bay is going to have to come at the backup position. Tyrod Taylor , a 36-year-old with 62 NFL starts under his belt, is certainly more veteran than Kyle McCord , a 2025 draft pick who spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. With that being said, though, Taylor only received $700,000 in guarantees in his contract , less than kicker Brandon McManus — who was released from Green Bay post-draft — made from the Packers this offseason. Taylor’s contract doesn’t really lock him into a roster spot, even if he has an inside track for the job. The Green Bay Packers chose to bring back blocking back Chris Brooks over ball-carrier Emanuel Wilson this offseason, which will give MarShawn Lloyd the opportunity to be the number two ball-carrier in Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs in 2026. Here’s the problem: The 2024 third-round pick has only played in one game over two seasons due to a brutal stretch of injuries. Obviously, with that track record, the question is whether Lloyd can stay on the field or not. If he can’t, it opens the door for a roster spot for Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez or undrafted rookie Jaden Nixon. With Jayden Reed under contract for years to come and the Christian Watson extension likely coming, the Packers’ receiver room will revolve around the trio of Watson, Reed and 2024 first-round pick Matthew Golden moving forward. Here’s the thing, though: We haven’t really seen them play together. Last season, in part because of injuries to both Watson and Reed, these receivers were only on the field together for all of 14 snaps, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Here’s the good news: On those 14 plays, the Packers averaged 11.4 yards per play. They were mostly on the field together for obvious pass situations, as the team threw 12 times out of those 14 snaps. Reed, famously, has been a slot-only receiver for the Packers. Still, Green Bay likes to move Watson inside in obvious passing situations, too, to get better matchups. On top of that, Golden didn’t play a ton of true outside receiver snaps last year, as he was often motioned from inside out or outside in, rarely stagnant whenever he wasn’t playing a true slot role — which he did frequently when Reed was injured. What does a Watson, Reed and Golden offense look like? We have no idea. We have about a quarter of a game of plays to go off of from 2025. Tucker Kraft should be back on the field by the start of training camp, and he’s not a liability blocker, so that helps Green Bay in the in-line tight end department. With that being said, neither Luke Musgrave nor Josh Whyle , the other returning tight ends from the Packers’ 53-man roster, is a plus blocker. Musgrave has been used in-line for most of his Green Bay career, with below-average results as a blocker, while Whyle has been used as more of a “move” tight end in obvious passing situations. After the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted the team wanted to hit the in-line tight end market, but that value didn’t present itself (not surprising considering the crazy run at the position on Day 2). Still, Green Bay, with its run-first offense, will need a better answer than Musgrave or Whyle as in-line blockers if Kraft ever does go down. Look for the team to continue to bring in bodies throughout the summer. With Sean Rhyan receiving a new contract and Aaron Banks [... truncated ...]
general
Why one analyst is dying to see Bears Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III unleashed
We’re getting closer to our first look at the 2026 Chicago Bears , and there’s one thing in particular ESPN’s Ben Solak wants to know about this squad: what are sophomore stars Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III about to do now that their roles are set to expand this season? As Bears fans know, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson moved veteran receiver DJ Moore this past offseason to make room for the glut of young talent in the pass-catching corps, which also includes 2024 No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze . Assuming Odunze is healthy, he’s likely to see substantial targets and hopefully return to the level of production he enjoyed before leg injuries derailed his own sophomore campaign. But after what Loveland, the No. 10 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Burden, the 39th pick in the same class, did down the stretch of their respective rookie seasons, there’s no way they’re not going to be major parts of the offense. Burden’s case is especially intriguing because he figures to slot alongside Odunze as a starter in Moore’s place—a scenario one could envision after he started to break out late in his rookie campaign. “Burden averaged 2.92 yards per route run during the regular season. That’s tied with A.J. Brown for the best mark for a rookie receiver (minimum 50 targets) in the past 15 years. Just below Burden and Brown are Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr. , Puka Nacua and Ja’Marr Chase. Those players did it on remarkably higher volume than Burden, but even the low-usage rookies who spiked in yards per route run ( Tank Dell , Christian Watson , Tyreek Hill , Doug Baldwin ) indicate a promising future for Burden,” Solak wrote. After a slow start that likely had to do with a combination of inexperience and too many bodies ahead of him, Burden started getting more opportunities after Odunze went down and Olamide Zaccheaus ’ hands turned into a liability. His explosive run-after-catch ability and improving route-running continued to earn him more snaps until he posted a three-game stretch of 67, 84, and 138 receiving yards in three of his final four regular-season games. Johnson sounds extremely committed to giving him more opportunities in 2026. Assuming Burden makes the strides with the playbook that we’d expect, we should expect him to take advantage. That said, we all know who the real top dog in this pass-catching pecking order is now. Loveland’s insane finish to last season placed him almost immediately into top-five tight end conversations, punctuated by his monstrous eight-catch, 137-yard performance in the Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers . Calling him “unguardable” in that game didn’t do it justice. And there’s more where that came from, suggests Solak. “Loveland is an impossible cover. Long and rangy, Loveland eats up ground similar to a receiver in his route stem. Loveland is snappy enough to separate from linebackers, but the real issue is how his size and toughness make him nearly impossible to play through. Safeties keep trying to light him up at the catch point with big hits. They look like they’re hit-sticking a telephone pole. “The real needle-mover for Loveland is his blocking ability. He can dig out defensive ends and hold his water one-on-one in the running game. This makes him doubly dangerous in the play-action pass game, as his pre-snap alignment doesn’t tip Johnson’s hand to the opposing defensive coordinator. Safeties and linebackers have to meet him aggressively when he’s blocking downhill. But if they guess wrong and he’s climbing vertically for a route, their goose is cooked,” he wrote of the rising second-year tight end. Loveland’s massive surge, plus some injuries to the receiving corps, pushed him into the team lead for catches and receptions by year’s end. While the likes of Odunze will undoubtedly get a high share of targets in 2026 now that he’s back, Loveland is the real problem in that offense right now. The scary part: he doesn’t have Mo [... truncated ...]
general
The Green Bay Packers dropped their 2026 schedule. See Jordan Love at Lambeau
The Green Bay Packers have released their 2026 schedule, facing a challenging path that includes matchups against the Chicago Bears (Caleb Williams), Dallas Cowboys (Dak Prescott), Minnesota Vikings (Kyler Murray), Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen), and Detroit Lions (Jared Goff). Despite the tough schedule, oddsmakers project the Packers to win 10.5 games. The team has also made offseason additions, including Javon Hargrove, Benjamin St-Juste, and Skyy Moore
general
NFL schedule 2026: This team will rack up the fewest miles this year
While we wait for the full release of the 2026 NFL regular-season schedule — and comb through the details we do have such as the nine international games — we start to think about what teams have a tough road in the year ahead, and what teams will barely even go on the road. The Carolina Panthers fall into the latter category. Due to the NFL’s scheduling formula, the Panthers have just eight road games this year. Those include games against their NFC South division rivals, games against the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers (as the NFC South squares off with the AFC North in 2026), and a game against the Philadelphia Eagles . When you add up all the road trips, the Panthers are traveling just 8,740 miles this year, the fewest in the league, according to this projection . Not too far behind are the Cleveland Browns, who will rack up just 9,073 miles this year. It probably comes as no surprise that the two teams that are traveling the most are the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, who will meet in Week 1 in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. The two NFC West rivals will square off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11 in Australia/September 10 here in the United States. That is not the only international game on San Francisco ’s slate, as the 49ers will travel to Mexico City to take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. As for the Panthers, this schedule could be a blessing. Last year the New England Patriots advanced to Super Bowl LX, and while the relative ease of their schedule was a talking point, another factor in their rise was how little New England traveled in 2025 . Until the Patriots traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, their longest trek in 2025 was to New Orleans to play the Saints , and they left the Eastern Time Zone just twice during the regular season: For that Saints game, and for a game against the Tennessee Titans . Could the Panthers follow a similar path to a Super Bowl?
analyst
Jayden Reed's Dynasty Value Tethered to His Underwhelming Usage
Despite flashes of potential, Jayden Reed's fantasy production has been limited by his role and a crowded receiver room in Green Bay. While the departure of Romeo Doubs opens a theoretical door, competition from Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, and Matthew Golden could keep Reed's target share low. His dynasty value reflects this uncertainty, with his upside capped by inconsistent usage
WR · GB
analyst
How High is the Ceiling for Christian Watson?
Injuries have forced Packers wide receiver Christian Watson to miss 21 games across his first four seasons, but when healthy, he's shown continued flashes of game-breaking ability, and with Green Bay recently thinning its receiver ranks, he could have a path to fantasy greatness. After tearing his ACL in the final week of the 2024 season, Watson missed the first seven games of 2025, but upon his return, it didn't take long for him to endear himself to his fantasy managers. From Weeks 8 through 17, Watson was the WR9 in Half-PPR formats, finding the end zone six times across his final seven outings and once more in a Wild Card playoff loss to the Bears. Green Bay has since allowed Romeo Doubs to leave in free agency and has traded away Dontayvion Wicks, opening up a combined 127 targets from 2025. Health and a competing cluster of talent at wide receiver have been the biggest obstacles to Watson's sustained fantasy success, but with at least one hurdle seemingly cleared, he will enter the season 20 months removed from his ACL tear and atop the depth chart. Tight end Tucker Kraft, who was the team's best pass-catcher through the first half of the 2025 season is rehabbing his own ACL injury and could be limited to start the year, leaving Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed as Watson's greatest target competition one year after combining for 539 receiving yards and one touchdown, numbers exceeded by Watson in fewer than half the games played
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Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.