January 7, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) continued to be limited in practice on Wednesday, according to Packers.com. Wicks suffered a concussion in Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, didn't practice at all last week, and was inactive for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The good news is that the 24-year-old has advanced through the league's concussion protocol, but he still has more boxes to check to be cleared to play on Saturday night against the division-rival Chicago Bears on Wild-Card weekend. How much he's able to do in practice on Thursday could determine Wicks' status for Saturday's playoff game. Wicks has been a boom/bust fantasy wideout all season long, with one really true boom performance in the Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions, when he caught six passes for 94 yards and his only two TDs of the year. If he's active against Chicago, fantasy managers should focus on more reliable options.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com
January 7, 2026
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (knee) said Wednesday that "this is the best I've felt in six weeks," as he's been dealing with a knee injury that he originally suffered in Week 11 versus the New York Giants. Jacobs is off the injury report for the first time since then and should be ready to handle his full workload in Saturday's Wild-Card matchup against the division-rival Chicago Bears after being rested in Week 18. The 27-year-old had another strong season despite the lingering injury, handling 234 carries for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with 36 catches (44 targets) for 282 yards and another score as a receiver. Jacobs will face a Chicago defense that allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game (134.5) and the fourth-highest yards per carry (5.0) this season. Jacobs profiles as a rock-solid RB1 for Wild-Card weekend in a favorable matchup and with improved health.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Rom Demovsky
January 7, 2026
Green Bay running back
Josh Jacobs was rested for the team's Week 18 loss to the Vikings, along with most of the Packers' starters, and fantasy managers are hoping the extended time off will help him get back on track after a disappointing, injury-plagued close to the season. Bothered by ankle and knee injuries down the stretch, he was held to 51 total yards over his last two starts, including a three-yard performance in Week 17. In opening the playoffs on the road in Chicago, Jacobs faces a Bears defense that has allowed over 190 rushing yards in two of their last three games. However, an obvious caveat is that one of those games came against the Packers in Week 16, in which a clearly limited Jacobs accounted for only 36 yards while fumbling once. After a week of rest, Jacobs is RotoBaller's RB7 for Wild Card Weekend.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
January 7, 2026
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that cornerback/wide receiver
Bo Melton (knee) will be placed on Injured Reserve and won't be available in the playoffs, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Melton doesn't have a torn ACL, but it will take him too long to recover from the knee injury that he suffered in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The 26-year-old was mostly a contributor on special teams for the Packers in 2025, as he caught just four passes on offense for 107 yards and one touchdown on 13 targets over 16 games (one start). In his three NFL seasons with the Packers, Melton has only 28 catches on 54 targets for 416 yards and two touchdowns in 38 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Tom Silverstein
January 6, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) was listed as a limited participant for Tuesday's practice session, according to NFL.com's Jason B. Hirschhorn. Wicks suffered a concussion in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and was held out of the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The fact that the 24-year-old is practicing at all is a good sign, and he could be on pace to clear the league's concussion protocol by later this week and be active for the Wild-Card playoff tilt against the division-rival Chicago Bears on Saturday evening. If Wicks plays this weekend, he'll be a volatile and risky WR4/flex play for those in playoff fantasy leagues. Wicks only caught a career-low 30 passes for 332 yards and two scores on 46 targets in 14 regular-season games. The vast majority of his fantasy production came on Thanksgiving against the Lions, when he went for 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com - Jason B. Hirschhorn
January 6, 2026
Green Bay Packers rookie first-round wide receiver
Matthew Golden (Achilles) should be good to go for Wild-Card weekend against the division-rival Chicago Bears this Saturday night after being listed as a full participant at Tuesday's practice. Golden played all of the team's offensive snaps in the Week 18 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, with the Packers resting some of their regulars, but the 22-year-old still wasn't able to capitalize with
Clayton Tune running the offense. Golden caught one of his three targets for only eight yards to close out what was a disappointing first year in the NFL. The Texas product was a popular rookie breakout candidate in the preseason, but he ended up with only 29 receptions for 361 yards and no touchdowns in 2025. Green Bay's receiving corps is pretty healthy heading into the playoffs, making Golden pretty hard to trust in fantasy lineups.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com - Jason B. Hirschhorn
January 6, 2026
The Green Bay Packers released quarterback
Clayton Tune on Tuesday and signed QB
Desmond Ridder to the active 53-man roster in a corresponding move, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Tune made the start in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and went 6-for-11 for 34 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, adding 23 rushing yards on four carries. The 26-year-old won't join the team going into the playoffs this Saturday night against the division-rival Chicago Bears.
Jordan Love (concussion) will return as the starter, but Ridder could serve as his backup in the Wild-Card round if
Malik Willis (shoulder, hamstring) isn't ready to return from a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Tune's start on Sunday for Green Bay was just the second of his career.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Matt Schneidman
January 6, 2026
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Jordan Love (concussion) will start on Saturday in the Wild-Card playoff game against the division-rival Chicago Bears after missing more than two and a half games due to a concussion, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. "There's nobody else I'd rather have than Jordan," head coach Matt LaFleur said. Love has not played since suffering a concussion in the second half of the Week 16 loss to the Bears. The 27-year-old mostly had a normal week of practice last week before being held out of the Week 18 regular-season loss to the Minnesota Vikings, so he shouldn't have any limitations this weekend on the road. In the first meeting with Chicago on Dec. 7, Love threw for 234 yards, three touchdowns, and one pick. Chicago's defense allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to QBs in 18 weeks, so Love, coming off injury, will be in play as a QB sleeper play in the first round in fantasy playoff leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Matt Schneidman
January 4, 2026
Green Bay Packers cornerback/wide receiver
Bo Melton (knee) is questionable to return to his team's Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings after suffering a knee injury. Melton was targeted once but did not record a reception before exiting the game. The 26-year-old has spent time playing on both sides of the ball in 2025. However, with Green Bay resting multiple starters in Week 18, Melton was one of the few wide receiver options active for the Packers on Sunday. If he is unable to return, Green Bay could be down to just
Matthew Golden and
Jakobie Keeney-James to soak up wide receiver snaps for the remainder of Week 18.
--Will BradySource: Green Bay Packers
January 4, 2026
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Minnesota Vikings. Jacobs recently recovered from knee and ankle injuries. While he didn't carry an injury designation into this weekend's contest, the Packers will opt to rest him. Green Bay, which has already locked up the No. 7 seed in the NFC, aims to keep Jacobs healthy ahead of the playoffs. He should return to the lead-back role when Green Bay takes the field in the Wild Card Round. In the meantime,
Emanuel Wilson should lead the Packers' backfield against the Vikings on Sunday.
Chris Brooks will back up Wilson. Interesting, the Packers chose not to elevate
Damien Martinez from the practice squad, so Wilson and Brooks will be their only active running backs in Week 18.
--Andersen PickardSource: Green Bay Packers
January 4, 2026
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Malik Willis (shoulder, hamstring) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Minnesota Vikings. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. In addition to Willis being inactive,
Jordan Love will ride the bench as Green Bay rests key starters. The Packers have nothing left to play for, as they already locked up the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture. As a result,
Clayton Tune will start at quarterback on Sunday afternoon. Willis will likely return to his backup quarterback role in the Wild Card Round, and he could earn a chance to compete for a starting job during free agency in March.
--Andersen PickardSource: Green Bay Packers
January 4, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Minnesota Vikings. He had been listed as doubtful after missing all three practices this past week. The 24-year-old has occupied an inconsistent role this season, and his usage has been dwindling with just four catches over his last four games. Wicks is the only wide receiver inactive for Green Bay, but we wouldn't be surprised if
Christian Watson,
Jayden Reed, and
Romeo Doubs handle a reduced workload now that the Packers have locked up the No. 7 seed.
Matthew Golden could earn more targets in the Packers' offense, led by quarterback
Clayton Tune.
--Andersen PickardSource: Green Bay Packers
January 4, 2026
The Green Bay Packers will rest key players during Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. It was previously reported that Green Bay would likely rest some of its starters, but Fowler's latest update now confirms this. While the X post doesn't say which players will be affected, Fowler reports that "a significant number" of key players will sit out. This decision comes after Green Bay clinched the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture. We already know that
Jordan Love will not start despite clearing concussion protocol, and we could see key offensive players like
Josh Jacobs and
Christian Watson rest.
Emanuel Wilson and
Matthew Golden could see additional opportunities in the
Clayton Tune-led offense. On defense, Fowler notes that recently-acquired cornerback Tre'Von Diggs will play.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jeremy Fowler
January 4, 2026
Green Bay Packers running back
Emanuel Wilson will take on increased responsibilities in the backfield on Sunday. Wilson figures to take over as the lead back with
Josh Jacobs (knee, ankle) unlikely to play. The Packers have little incentive to play Jacobs with their postseason seeding already decided. Wilson should take over a majority of the carries for the regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Wilson has posted strong stat lines when he gets over 10 carries in a game. Fantasy managers should expect him to continue to have success, assuming Jacobs remains on the sideline. There's RB2 upside here with Wilson probably getting double-digit carries in this game.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
January 3, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Christian Watson is coming off one of his best games of the season, having put up 113 yards and a touchdown in a Week 17 loss to the Ravens. Unfortunately, with the loss, Green Bay is locked into the NFC's seventh seed regardless of how things play out this weekend. With the Packers already on record that starting quarterback
Jordan Love will sit out one more game despite clearing the NFL's concussion protocol, it seems unlikely that the rest of their starters will get much run, if any, in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Vikings. Fantasy managers in leagues playing through the final week of the season should be looking for pieces from games with clearer stakes.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
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