Injuries continue to mount throughout the NFL. Last week, Green Bay Packers WR Jayden Reed played through a calf injury. He is now on the injury report once again. Should fantasy football managers be concerned about Reed’s Week 4 status?
Will Jayden Reed Play in Week 4 vs. the Vikings?
As a reminder, Wednesday practices are largely meaningless. By this point in the season, plenty of veterans rest on Wednesday, even if they’re not hurt. Every player is dealing with nicks and bruises, most of which are not serious enough to prevent them from playing.
Jayden Reed is only in his second season. Therefore, we should care a little more about Wednesday’s absences. Fortunately, that is not something we have to worry about this week.
It’s never good for a player to be listed on the practice report with an injury. It’s even worse when that player has an additional injury on top of the one he had from the previous week. Unfortunately, we did not get a huge amount of info about Reed from head coach Matt LaFleur.
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media 🎙️ https://t.co/Ux6a9uu9r8
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 25, 2024
Reed is still dealing with his calf issue, and now has a quad ailment as well. While that sounds less than ideal, and it is, Reed was still able to get in a limited session on Wednesday and Thursday. After being a full participant in Friday’s practice, and like last week, Reed avoided an injury designation entirely.
Should You Start Reed in Fantasy Lineups?
It has been a difficult start to the season for the Packers, losing Jordan Love in the season’s first game. Yet, Reed has averaged 16.9 fantasy points per game through three weeks. Those are WR1 numbers.
Love is tracking to return this week, which would be a significant boost to every Packer’s fantasy value, especially Reed.
Reed ran 26 routes in Week 1 and 31 routes in total since then, as the Packers have gone extremely run-heavy with Malik Willis under center. Love’s return would restore balance to their offense, unlocking Reed’s upside.
Reed is never going to be a high-volume guy, but given his electric skill set, he will have touches manufactured for him. He’s seen at least one carry in every game this season.
Still scoring TDs… Jayden Reed takes it 34 yards to the house! @Packers
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/rDhTef9Jm7
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
In a crucial divisional showdown against the Vikings, Reed is a high-WR3 with WR1 upside, assuming Love is able to go.
Who Are the Other Fantasy Options To Consider on the Packers?
The Packers are known for rotating their wide receivers. Romeo Doubs is the one most consistent on the field, but even he isn’t an every-down player. On any given week, any one of Doubs, Reed, Christian Watson, or Dontayvion Wicks could pop off for a big game.
Brian Flores’ defenses love to blitz. That will likely result in at least a couple of downfield shots in Watson’s direction. Whether he catches them will determine if he finishes the game with two catches for 15 yards or something like 4-80-1.
As for Wicks, he’s clearly talented but also clearly a distant fourth. He is consistently running the fewest routes of the Packers’ four main wide receivers. He’s way too speculative to be trusted in fantasy lineups.