Christian

Watson

Watson and fellow receiver Matthew Golden combined to catch 14 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns, as both receivers attacked downfield at will against an overmatched Patriots secondary. Watson saw four of his seven receptions go for 20-plus yards, and found the end zone on a 39-yard touchdown in the third quarter, one play after the Packers’ defense forced a turnover. Watson has now gone for 100-plus yards in back-to-back weeks and has four games of 100-plus-yard performances on his resumé this season. He draws a tough Week 10 matchup against the Vikings and will be in the mix as a high-end WR2.

Watson got in a pair of limited practices after leaving in Week 8 against the Panthers with a rib injury that required a trip to the hospital. The 6-foot-4 wideout is a WR1 for the upcoming battle against New England.

It’s back-to-back limited sessions for Watson. It’ll likely be a pain-tolerance issue for the wideout, but assuming he doesn’t suffer a setback in practice, he appears to be good for Week 9 against the Patriots and deserves WR1 consideration.

Watson famously left for the hospital in the middle of Week 8’s win over the Panthers, only to return after halftime like a WWE performer. The fact that they’re letting him practice in any capacity today means he should be able to play through the issue in Week 9. We’d expect him to wear a flak jacket for at least a few weeks. Barring a setback in practice, Watson will be a high-variance WR1 for his matchup with the Patriots.

The fact that Watson was able to even play in the second half was incredible, as the 27-year-old was forced to be examined at the hospital following a chest injury. He didn’t do much after putting up 100 yards in the first half, but again, that’s not really the story here. Watson told reporters after the game that he was coughing up blood and suffered a fractured rib before returning. Assuming no setbacks, he’s a WR1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots, but keep in mind Christian Gonzalez — on top of this injury — can make things difficult.

Watson went to the hospital to have his chest injury examined, but obviously checked out well if the Packers were willing to reinsert him into a game where they were leading by two scores. It’s a sigh of relief for fantasy managers, as Watson has been sensational Thursday night with six catches for 100 yards in just one half thus far.

Watson was hurt on a deep pass in the middle of the second quarter, and went to the locker room to be evaluated and will head to the hospital to be further examined. The 27-year-old was playing well prior to the injury with six catches for 100 yards on his seven targets. Matthew Golden will be the primary wideout target for Jordan Love if Watson can’t return.

Watson remained limited through the first two practices this week. We do not yet know his Friday participation level, but he seems to be ready for action. Watson belongs in the WR1 tier against a Lions’ pass defense that has freely surrendered big plays this season.

Watson appears to just be being managed at this point as Matt LaFleur said there are no concerns on him playing in Week 7. Two limited sessions are often a starting point for a questionable listing, but we’d be surprised if it got that far with Watson.

The same is true of Matthew Golden, who is dealing with a shoulder issue. Both players were estimated as limited participants for Wednesday’s walkthrough. It doesn’t look like either wideout is at risk of missing the Packers’ upcoming shootout with Detroit. Watson is currently fifth in the league in receiving yards at 538. Golden is sixth at 501. Both players hold a spot in the WR1 ranks heading into Week 7.