Christian Watson Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Packers WR Christian Watson (hamstring) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives the rookie a shot to return for this weekend's game vs. the Patriots, although he wouldn't be a viable fantasy play.

Packers WR Romeo Doubs tallied 8 catches for 73 yards and 1 score in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. Fantasy owners were happy early, as the rookie notched 3-35-1 on Green Bay’s first drive alone. The score came on a goal line slant vs. off coverage. Overall, Doubs caught all of his targets and paced the team with a 22.8% target share against a strong Bucs secondary. Sunday’s outing did come with Christian Watson (hamstring) and Sammy Watkins (hamstring, IR) sidelined, but Doubs has earned a weekly role with his performance. Next up is a 3-game home stand vs. the Patriots, Giants and Jets.

As expected, Packers WRs Christian Watson (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Bucs but WR Randall Cobb (illness) is active. We’re expecting to see Cobb as Green Bay’s primary slot receiver today, with WRs Allen Lazard and Romeo Doubs on the outside.

Packers WR Randall Cobb (illness) is "likely" to play vs. the Bucs today, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. But WR Christian Watson (hamstring) is not expected to play. With WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring) on IR, Green Bay will roll out Allen Lazard, Cobb, Romeo Doubs and Juwann Winfree as its top 4 WRs. Look for another RB-centric game plan from the Packers today.

Packers WRs Christian Watson (hamstring) and Randall Cobb (illness) are listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Bucs. Watson went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday or Friday. Cobb didn't practice all week. We'll see if these guys are available come Sunday, but neither should be in fantasy lineups. HC Matt LaFleur said Friday that WR Romeo Doubs is "going to have to take more of a load this week."

Packers WRs Allen Lazard (ankle), Sammy Watkins (hamstring), Christian Watson (hamstring) and Randall Cobb (illness) all missed Thursday's practice. Lazard, Watson and Watkins were all limited on Wednesday, so it seems like this was a planned day off for guys that aren't quite at 100%. We'll know more when we get Green Bay's final injury report tomorrow.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero confirms that Packers WR Allen Lazard (ankle) is not expected to play vs. the Vikings today. He's listed as doubtful after missing practice all week. Lazard's absence leaves Green Bay with WRs Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs, Randall Cobb and Christian Watson. Pelissero also reports that LT David Bakhtiari (knee) and RT Elgton Jenkins (pectoral/knee) will miss today's opener. It's a tough spot for QB Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers list WR Allen Lazard (ankle) as doubtful for Sunday's opener vs. the Vikings. He didn't practice all week and is obviously unlikely to play. Lazard's absence will leave Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs, Randall Cobb and Christian Watson as Green Bay's top 4 WRs. Check out where those guys sit in the Week 1 WR Rankings.

Packers WR Christian Watson (knee) put in a full practice on Wednesday. He'll be available for Sunday's opener vs. the Vikings -- but we'd be surprised if the rookie played a big role after missing 3 weeks of camp.

Packers HC Matt LaFleur shared why WR Christian Watson wasn’t active for the team’s preseason finale. "Our medical staff thought it would be in his best interest to give him two more weeks before we put him in a game situation,” LaFleur said. The rookie, of course, missed a chunk of training camp following knee surgery in June. He remains a weak bet for early-season fantasy production.

The Packers are trying to catch 2nd-round WR Christian Watson up with the offense after he missed much of training camp with a knee injury. Watson has been working in with both the 1st- and 2nd-team offenses, according to the Packers' website. QB Aaron Rodgers says he has been pleased with Watson's mental development: "The thing that I've seen with him is just mentally the improvement from day to day. I'm going to test him every single day and give him adjustments and things that they might not have talked about, maybe they've talked about, see what the recall is and see how well they can adjust on the fly." HC Matt LaFleur added that "you could definitely feel his size and speed out there," after Sunday's team workout. It's certainly worth remembering that Green Bay drafted Watson 2 rounds ahead of classmate Romeo Doubs. We'll see how much depth-chart climbing Watson can do before Week 1.

Packers WR Christian Watson (knee) was removed from the PUP list on Sunday. HC Matt LaFleur said the rookie will start out doing individual work and walkthroughs. LaFleur wouldn’t commit to Watson, 23, playing some preseason snaps. There’s time for Green Bay’s depth chart to get shaken up, but we wouldn’t count on a big early-season role for Watson right now.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers praised rookie WR Romeo Doubs at training camp. “Every single day, there’s been at least one ‘wow’ play. And that’s rare for a young guy like that,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had some guys over the years do that, but they are all in the top 10 of Packers receiving history. Good start for him.” Missed time from WRs Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins have given Doubs a chance to shine alongside Rodgers. If this continues over the next few weeks, it’s quite possible he sees some run in 3-WR sets.

Per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Packers WR Christian Watson underwent “minor” knee surgery in June. "I think there was kind of a thought process [of] do you want to try to push through the season and finish this after the season or should we just go ahead and do it now?" Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said. "And we just did it now. So he'll miss a little bit of time in camp, but it's nothing long term." Any missed time alongside Aaron Rodgers figures to hurt Watson’s early-season outlook. We’ll keep an eye out for a return date, but the rookie was never a redraft priority.

The Packers have placed WR Christian Watson on the PUP list to begin training camp. It's not clear what injury is keeping him from opening camp with his teammates. Green Bay can activate the rookie at any time, so we'll see how long he remains out. The missed time would seem especially significant to a rookie trying to win a starting gig.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic believes WR Allen Lazard will lead the Packers in receptions. Schneidman cites Lazard’s “sturdy hands” and a budding rapport with Aaron Rodgers. The losses of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling took away 224 targets, so there’s no doubting the opportunity in front of Lazard. New arrivals Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Sammy Watkins don't exactly supply tough target competition. Our current projections agree with Schneidman’s assessment.

Multiple reports have rookie WR Romeo Doubs impressing in OTA sessions. That's not surprising given the way GM Brian Gutekunst talked about the 4th-round selection in early May. “He’s got length, he’s really fast, he’s a big-time playmaker and he’s done it for multiple years at Nevada,” Gutekunst told the team website. “He’s probably one of the more polished players coming out of college just because of his experience. We’re excited to see what he can do.” That "polish" will tend to show in these early, padless workouts that are missing a number of veterans. Doubs will be worth tracking, though, as the renovated Green Bay WR corps leaves wide-open opportunity. It doesn't hurt Doubs' path that fellow Packers rookie Christian Watson has dropped some passes already. (But no, we're not overrating that issue for Watson right now.)

New Packers OC Adam Stenavich commented on rookie WR Christian Watson. Stenavich is a former O-lineman who most recently coached Green Bay’s O-line. “His combination of size and speed is great,” Stenavich said. “He's a big guy, he can move, he's going to be a problem once he figures things out.” Watson’s physical traits are obvious. But as Stenavich noted, it’ll be the mental part that’s key for the WR's development.

The Packers traded up to select North Dakota State WR Christian Watson with the 34th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Watson is a truly freaky athlete. The 6’4, 208-pounder registered a 4.36-second 40-time and a 38.5-inch vertical at the Combine to earn a 100th percentile Relative Athletic Score. That obviously gives Watson a lofty fantasy ceiling. But the floor is low. Watson is more athlete than WR right now. He easily won with his size and speed against FCS defenses. But he’s a raw and inexperienced route runner, isn’t as dominant in contested situations as you’d expect and dropped 13% of his catchable targets over the past 3 seasons. Watson is also an older rookie, turning 23 in May. He has plenty of opportunity to earn playing time amid a Green Bay WR corps of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers. We’ll see if Watson is ready.