The Green Bay Packers wide receiver room is very young, so it’s no surprise that we see their pecking order fluctuate, but who is the current top dog to start in fantasy football this week: Jayden Reed or Christian Watson?
Jayden Reed’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The other day, I wrote that Reed should be a priority waiver wire pickup this week, so I obviously believe in his chances. He’s everything we thought Watson would be in this Packers offense, and he has legitimate big-play ability on every snap.
Reed has averaged four catches for 62 yards over the past three games and even scored a touchdown last week. He has earned a 13.7% target share, but honestly, he doesn’t need a tremendous amount of opportunity to do damage.
The Packers face the Los Angeles Chargers, the seventh-ranked defense against fantasy wide receivers, this week. This is also predicted to be a close game, with Green Bay being three-point underdogs on the road.
We have Reed ranked as the WR47 this week in our PFN Consensus Rankings, but personally, I see him as a locked-in WR3/Flex for your fantasy team.
I believe we have seen the beginning of the ascension of a long-term talent in the league. Reed has led the Packers receivers in production in each of the past three weeks.
Christian Watson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Many managers in the fantasy community crowned Watson their fantasy breakout for this season, but he’s not producing with Jordan Love like he did last year with Aaron Rodgers.
There have even been reports that Love has had to encourage Watson to stay positive and confident in his abilities.
MORE: Should You Start Chris Godwin or Calvin Ridley in Week 11?
Watson is still leading the Packers in target share at 16.7%, but he’s doing very little with those opportunities. In fact, he hasn’t caught more than three balls in a game all season.
Watson is averaging two catches for 31 yards over his past three games. I see him as a desperation Flex play but nothing more. And while I wouldn’t dump Watson in dynasty leagues, his redraft value is gone.
Should You Start Reed or Watson This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Reed is the player to start. His projected 8.7 points include a projection of 3.4 receptions and 44.1 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection of Watson’s 8.1 points.
My ranking for the Packers wide receivers aligns with the consensus, as I see Reed as having surpassed Watson and Romeo Doubs in Green Bay’s WR room.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!