August 29, 2025

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed will face an even tougher battle to put up numbers like he did in his rookie season. Outside of a few boom games in 2024, he was largely disappointing and shocked fantasy managers by putting up a goose egg in one of his games against the Detroit Lions. Reed is not a great run-blocker, so he struggles to gain snaps in 12 personnel formations. Instead, he plays mainly in the slot and only sees the field in 3-receiver sets, limiting his opportunities. Though fellow WR Christian Watson (knee) tore his ACL last season, Reed barely got more playing time as a result. The Packers then drafted WRs Matthew Golden -- in Round 1 -- and Savion Williams -- in Round 3 -- to dilute Green Bay's target concentration even more. Reed maintaining his slot role seems reasonable, but those snaps could be siphoned off, and he has little chance of gaining more of an outside role. In a run-heavy Packers offense, Reed's optimism seems like a lost cause in fantasy football. Update 8/29/25: Reed is dealing with a Jones fracture in his left foot, but will play through the injury this season. It's unclear if Reed will suit up for Week 1, but fantasy managers should continue to monitor the injury. With the emergence of Golden in training camp and Reed banged up, his ranking has dropped to WR44, making him a risky pick as well as a FLEX play at best heading into upcoming fantasy football drafts.--John Johnson