Jayden Reed's season-ending injury makes Christian Watson and Matthew Golden the Packers' clear-cut top two WRs. Even if Reed had not gotten hurt, Golden was headed toward a breakout season. Here's how fantasy managers can use this information to uncover more bargains next summer.
Early this summer, I shared why Golden was Green Bay's most undervalued fantasy option. I ranked him 46 spots ahead of his overall-127 ADP and pushed the 2025 first-round draft pick as a breakout candidate. Nothing inherently held him back.
He flashed last fall when injuries forced the rookie into a more prominent role, posting 12-196 receiving yards across three games beginning in Week 3. The fantasy impact wasn't that noticeable, because Golden didn't score. That's
the difference between 11-to-13 points and 17-to-20. The first makes one streamable. The second makes one a must-start receiver.
The departures of Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs this past offseason would increase Golden's target share. Last year's mini-run that led to a 12-196 line could be replicated this season across 17 games, pushing him far ahead of his ridiculously low WR50 ADP. The only question that remained was whether touchdowns would push him into must-start territory.
He found the end zone for the first time last week, giving him 16+ points for the first time in his brief career. There's more where that came from.
This is one way to spot a preseason WR bargain. Identify a talented, ascending receiver in a corps that has just lost at least one fantasy-relevant starter. Estimate the young wideout's target share and the corresponding receptions and yardage we might expect. If that fantasy production exceeds ADP expectations, then even if this receiver doesn't score, he has a great shot at being a bargain. If he does score? Well, that's icing on the cake, and that's what transforms bargains into difference makers.
Listen to this quick-hit podcast episode on the inevitability of Golden's breakout season and why it didn't make sensefor the fantasy market to rank him so low.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Why fantasy managers could predict why Matthew Golden was undervalued
