Christian Watson has already missed time with injuries this season and appears to be hurt again. What happened to the Green Bay Packers wide receiver on Sunday Night Football, and what’s his latest injury status?
Christian Watson Injury Update
Watson went down awkwardly after converting a first down late in the fourth quarter. While he initially appeared to be giving himself up to burn the clock, Watson clearly injured himself and was in pain following the play.
He had to place both of his arms around the shoulders of trainers in order to make his way off the field, then immediately went to the medical tent along Green Bay’s sideline.
#Packers WR Christian Watson went down with a non-contact injury and immediately grabbed his right leg. pic.twitter.com/HXmnlYgp7J
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 4, 2023
Watson quickly emerged from the tent and began slowly patrolling the Packers’ sideline. However, he did not have his helmet.
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Green Bay subsequently announced that Watson has a hamstring injury and is questionable to return.
Watson missed multiple games with a hamstring issue during the 2022 campaign, then injured his hamstring again near the end of this year’s training camp. He was sidelined for the first three games of the season before making his 2023 debut in Week 4.
The Packers have re-inserted themselves into the NFC postseason conversation, and they’ll need all the offensive weaponry they can get. Green Bay is already without running back Aaron Jones, who’s been out for two straight games thanks to a knee injury.
Watson, a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, entered Sunday night’s game with 21 receptions for 351 yards and three touchdowns. He was in the midst of his best performance of the year in Week 13, having hauled in seven catches for 71 yards and two scores.
Fantasy Fallout From Watson’s Injury
Watson missed time earlier this season, and Romeo Doubs showed the ability to earn targets in bunches, with 33 through the first four games this season. Of course, the Packers didn’t have confidence in rookie Jayden Reed at that point in the season, but the larger point remains that Doubs is capable of handling an increase in workload when called upon.
Reed is still my preferred Packer, but Doubs will see his rest-of-season ranking improve by 15-ish spots if this Watson injury results in missed time. That shift would put Doubs on the fringe of Flex territory as long as Jordan Love continues to play at a high level.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe