Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden was listed as a non-participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough due to shoulder and foot injuries after being listed as a DNP on Monday’s estimated injury report.
Golden was questionable with a shoulder injury last week but played against the Lions. The foot injury is a new development, and head coach Matt LaFleur has yet to address its severity. With the Packers facing a short turnaround for Thursday’s matchup against the Panthers, Golden’s Week 8 availability is in question. If Golden can’t go, expect the Packers to lean on Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft through the air. Savion Williams would likely see an expanded role after catching all three of his targets for 47 yards in Week 7. Undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant could also see additional opportunities on the outside, while veteran Bo Melton has flashed upside in limited opportunities, including a 105-yard, one-touchdown performance in 2023. Both are deep-league lottery tickets if Golden is ruled out.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft enters Thursday's ...
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft caught all five of...
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft looks to continue ...
Matt LaFleur confirmed today that the injury to Jayden Reed was indeed a neck injury and that it is “too early to tell” if he will be able to resume playing this year. With how serious neck injuries are and the lack of clarity on his return, we can expect Reed to be out long term, another massive blow to this Packers offense that is already missing their star running back Josh Jacobs.
For fantasy gamers, expect to see a bigger target consolidation between Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft throughout the rest of the season and a rise in their PlayerProfiler weekly rankings. Skyy Moore should be stashed in deeper formats as he is the next man up in the wide receiver room. ~Austin Fonseca
Tucker Kraft‘s extension is a four-year, $75 million deal, up to $92 million with incentives and includes a $26.5 million signing bonus. Kraft broke out last season, ranking TE2 overall as well as having the 2nd highest YPRR of all TE’s last year through 8 weeks before tearing his ACL in Week 9.
At only 25 years old, Kraft has an opportunity to cement himself as a Top-6 TE in all formats, if not Top-3. He should continue to be heavily featured, especially with the Packers moving on from both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason – and a potentially more pass-heavy offense while we await Josh Jacobs‘ fate. Kraft is PlayerProfiler’s No. 5 ranked TE in redraft formats and No. 6 ranked TE in dynasty formats.
Jonnu Smith lands in Green Bay after a 222-yard campaign in Pittsburgh, bringing an 83rd-percentile Speed Score and 94th-percentile Burst Score to the Packers’ depth chart. With Luke Musgrave sidelined, Smith provides insurance behind Tucker Kraft, who posted 2.56 Yards Per Route Run and a 34.9-percent Dominator Rating before tearing his ACL.
Unless Kraft suffers a setback on his road to Week 1, Smith lacks the projected Target Share to warrant standalone fantasy investment. However, Smith will have some productive weeks, primarily playing H-back, and his presents nukes any fringe value Musgrave may have once offered.
Tucker Kraft is recovering from a torn ACL and recently returned to 11-on-11 drills, highlighted by a 46-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. Regardles, he could remain on a pitch count until around midseason, limiting his early season workload. At the same time, the Packers are working to extend Kraft’s contract. With Kraft’s snaps limited, Luke Musgrave (PUP) could see more routes, targets and red zone opportunities early on if he can return from a neck injury suffered in mini-camp before Week 1.
Kraft was a YAC monster before the knee injury, but expecting him to immediately return to that workload is risky. His real fantasy value will come later in the season once Green Bay takes the training wheels off. For this reason, Kraft is particularly attractive in fantasy football best ball formats.
After tearing his ACL last season, Tucker Kraft has made encouraging progress and is back on the field. The confidence in a Week 1 return has grown over the past few weeks, though the 25-year-old tight end is still likely to need a gradual ramp up before he’s fully back to 100%.
Don’t expect peak production right out of the gate, but given Kraft is still pre-age apex and coming off a massive breakout before the injury, the upside is palpable. His return should push Kraft back up draft boards, making him a prime mid round TE target for managers willing to bet on the comeback. He is PlayerProfiler’s TE5 in redraft and TE6 in dynasty coming off the board after the Big 4 (Bowers, McBride, Loveland, Warren).
