Packers unsure if Reed (neck) plays this season

Reed may not return in 2026, and Bako-Bewele suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Packers will also be without Banks, their starting left guard, though the Falcons are without both starting edge rushers right now due to suspension and injury. Packers DT Javon Hargrave (knee/concussion) is active.

Schefter clarifies this as a back injury after it was initially updated by the Packers as a neck injury. Neither of those designations are promising signs for him. Reed’s absence, should it continue into this week, would strengthen fantasy floors for Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft. The Packers used a platoon of players to replace Reed, lead by Skyy Moore.

This is an encouraging first update on the Packers’ injured wide receiver. Reed will stay overnight at the hospital for further testing and observation, according to the team. Reed suffered a neck injury early in the Packers’ Week 2 game against the Jets and was taken to the locker room on a stretcher. Hopefully, the positive reports continue rolling in.

On just the second play of the game, Reed was tackled on a screen pass and was twisted around. There didn’t appear to be any direct contact to his head, but he went limp when he hit the ground in a scary scene. He was placed on a spine board, taken off the field on a cart, and immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game. After the game, we should learn more about the nature of his injury.

Per usual, Reed was relegated to three-receiver sets. He ran 27 routes out of 11-personnel and saw three routes from all other looks combined. What wasn’t usual was Matthew Golden’s involvement. Golden struggled to get on the field as a rookie and wasn’t awfully effective when he was out there. In Week 1, Golden led the team in routes (40) and had a team-best 12 targets. Christian Watson also exploded with 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If both players are in line for breakout seasons, Reed may be stuck in a low-value role for fantasy managers. He profiles as a WR4 for his Week 2 game against the Jets.

Prior reports indicated that the Packers’ coaching staff realized that their frequent wide receiver rotation was rubbing their stars the wrong way, prompting a positional personnel churn this offseason. LaFleur’s comments confirm the Packers’ starting wide receiver trio is going to play a lot, and fantasy managers should take note. Watson played extremely well in his recent from an ACL tear last year. If that play carries over, he is a shoo-in WR2 with substantial upside. Golden could be in for a Year 2 leap, and Reed could reliably return FLEX value, or better, if his snap share is high enough.

Reed played 7-of-9 snaps on the first drive before calling it a night. He was in the slot for all seven snaps. Reed snagged a 19-yard pass via a post route from the slot on 3rd-and-5. He was targeted again on a corner route just outside the end zone on 3rd-and-4 from the Steelers’ 19-yar4d line, but the pass was broken up. Packers WR Matthew Golden led the first-team offense with nine snaps.

Although a potential, albeit brief, matchup against Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is intriguing, the Packers’ wide receiver rotation is the real reason to tune in. Packers WR Christian Watson should be the team’s top target earner this season, and Love said WR Matthew Golden is set to assume X-receiver duties. Will slot WR Jayden Reed get to take snaps in two-receiver sets? That is to be determined.

Hopefully, this ends up being a non-issue, but we do need to keep an eye on it. Fortunately, if Reed does need to miss a few practices, he should have ample time to get right before Week 1. Reed has a chance to take on a larger role than he has had in previous seasons with the Packers’ front office thinning out the wide receiver corps this offseason.

We know this is getting into the weeds, but Reed’s weekly range of outcomes will be somewhat dependent on his access to heavy personnel packages. Through three NFL seasons, Reed has taken just 31 snaps in 12 personnel, so even a mild increase would boost his target-earning opportunities. Packers QB Jordan Love confirmed that second-year WR Matthew Golden is replacing WR Romeo Doubs as the X-receiver when speaking with the media today, so Golden and Watson (Z-receiver) will likely take the majority of 12 personnel reps this season. If Reed can at least send Golden to the sideline for a decent share of those opportunities, his fantasy managers would stand to benefit.