The Packers are off to a hot start to the season, looking like a true Super Bowl contender after big wins over the Cowboys and Commanders. They are dealing with some injuries, though, which could finally open the door for rookie Matthew Golden to have a breakout game this week against the Browns. Let’s take a look at the situation and see what to expect from Golden this week, along with the latest info on both Reed and Kraft’s injury situations moving forward.
The 2-0 Packers are 8.5-point road favorites over the 0-2 Cleveland Browns on DraftKings Sportbook with the point total set at 41.5.
Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed Injury Update
Kraft’s injury is the more recent and the more uncertain of these two situations. On Thursday in practice, he sustained a left knee injury. Further evaluations didn’t reveal a serious issue, but his status for Week 3 is “at least somewhat clouded,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Kraft’s participation level in Friday’s practice and his injury status for the weekend should shed some light on what to expect, but even if he doesn’t miss any games, the Packers may try to manage his workload a little bit after the “small tweak” to his knee.
Reed’s situation is more long-term and much clearer. He broke his collarbone last week against the Commanders and underwent surgery earlier this week. He also had surgery on his foot to take care of a Jones fracture he was playing through. He’s targeting a November return, after his initial prognosis of 6-to-8 weeks on the sideline.
Matthew Golden Breakout?
Even without Christian Watson (still recovering from an ACL tear last season), Reed and potentially Kraft, the Packers are stacked with pass-catching options. Golden is one of several options who should bet more targets, though, giving him the chance to hopefully have the breakout his fantasy managers were hoping for when they snagged him as a sleeper in drafts.
The Packers selected Matthew Golden out of Texas with the No. 23 overall pick in the NFL Draft last year, but his promising season has gotten off to a slow start. He had just two catches on two targets for 16 yards in Week 1, and then failed to catch either of his targets in Week 2, although he did have 15 rushing yards on two carries. While it didn’t show up in the box score, he just missed bringing in one of those targets for a touchdown.
The rookie’s 59% snap share in Week 2 was a slight uptick from his 48% mark from Week 1 and ranked second among Packers’ receivers behind Romeo Doubs’ 74%. Golden showed lots of potential in training camp and preseason, and if his targets increase with Reed out, a big breakout could be coming.
The Bottom Line
Golden’s talent and upside are obvious and getting more looks with Reed out and Kraft ailing only boosts his chances and opportunities of breaking out. If you can acquire him in a trade for sason-long leagues, this could be a good buy low week. If you already have him on the roster, he’ll be a boom-or-bust play with more potential than the last two weeks since he has a clearer path to targets.
For Week 3 DFS contests like the NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Golden has GPP upside to consider although he remains high risk because we haven’t seen him post monster numbers yet.
Romeo Doubs is probably the safer play for DFS this week since his $4,800 salary is below Golden’s $5,100, but both have big-time upside against the Browns. If Kraft is out or limited, Luke Musgrave will also be an outstanding value play at only $2,700.
