Watson (ankle) has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, but the injury is reportedly viewed as mild and unlikely to result in the wideout being placed on injured reserve, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports. Watson was reported to be a candidate for injured reserve as recently as Monday, but it appears the 2022 second-round pick has received some good news regarding the injury he sustained in a loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay not placing Watson on IR would indicate the team believes he'll be able to retake the field within the next four games. At a minimum though, Watson seems destined to sit out Sunday's road matchup against the Rams, which will provide Dontayvion Wicks an opportunity to start in three-wide sets alongside Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs. Bo Melton and Malik Heath will also figure to handle increased roles until Watson returns to full health.
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Status
DOUBTFUL - Ankle - Sprain Expected Return: 2024-10-06Latest Christian Watson news
Career History
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DraftKings points 6.6FanDuel Points 5.6REC 1.9REC YDS 26.7LNG 14.2TD 0.3CBSS fantasy points 4.6ESPN fantasy points 4.6Yahoo fantasy points 5.5
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Full season projectionsREC 56.7REC YDS 748.0LNG 29.0TD 1.6
Watson (ankle) has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, but the injury is reportedly viewed as mild and unlikely to result in the wideout being placed on injured reserve, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports. Watson was reported to be a candidate for injured reserve as recently as Monday, but it appears the 2022 second-round pick has received some good news regarding the injury he sustained in a loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay not placing Watson on IR would indicate the team believes he'll be able to retake the field within the next four games. At a minimum though, Watson seems destined to sit out Sunday's road matchup against the Rams, which will provide Dontayvion Wicks an opportunity to start in three-wide sets alongside Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs. Bo Melton and Malik Heath will also figure to handle increased roles until Watson returns to full health.
Watson (ankle) is believed to have sustained a high-ankle sprain during Sunday's 31-29 loss to the Vikings and is a candidate for injured reserve, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Packers will likely have Watson undergo further tests Monday to fully confirm the severity of his injury, but if the 2022 second-round pick has indeed suffered a high-ankle sprain that will force him to miss multiple games and log a stint on IR, it's a brutal development. Watson missed a combined 10 games in 2023 due to recurring hamstring injuries and dedicated the offseason to fixing those underlying issues, but he had to be carted off the field Sunday due to having his legs tangled up under defender Kamu Grugier-Hill. It's at least encouraging that Watson was able to avoid a season-ending injury, such as a fracture. Dontayvion Wicks will step into a starting role alongside Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs if Watson misses significant time, while Bo Melton and Malik Heath will also be called upon to handle increased roles.
Coach Matt LaFleur said after Sunday's 31-29 loss to the Vikings that Watson relayed to him that he believes he suffered a sprained ankle during the game, Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com reports. The severity of the potential sprain isn't known, but Watson had his legs bent back awkwardly on his last play before he eventually was ruled out of Sunday's contest. He'll likely undergo testing to determine the extent of the injury, but if he ends up missing time, the Packers' receiving corps will be composed of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath for as long as he may be sidelined.
Watson won't return to Sunday's game against the Vikings due to an ankle injury. On the first of Jordan Love's two interceptions in the first half, Watson's legs were bent back awkwardly, and he remained on the turf for a few minutes before walking off the field under his own power. He then needed a cart to get to the locker room. For the rest of Week 4, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath will be tasked with WR assignments that don't go to starters Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.
Watson (ankle) was forced out of Sunday's game against the Vikings with an ankle injury. Prior to his exit on a cart, Watson did not record a catch. In his absence, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are available to handle the Packers' WR duties.
Watson recorded two receptions on two targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 30-14 win over the Titans. The Packers were unlikely to be aggressive through the air with Malik Willis under center for the second consecutive week, and they could afford to be even more conservative due to maintaining a significant lead for the majority of the contest. That limited Watson's opportunity, though he did manage catches of 37 and 30 yards in the first half. Jayden Reed has operated as the team's top pass catcher, though Watson should find more consistent production once Jordan Love (knee) can return.
Watson wasn't targeted during Sunday's 16-10 win versus the Colts. The Packers offense was without Jordan Love (knee) for the first of potentially multiple games, so there were bound to be significant changes to the breakdown of touches with Malik Willis leading the way. However, Watson wasn't on the receiving end of any of Willis' 14 passes, and none of the team's 53 carries were allotted to him, while fellow WRs Jayden Reed and even Bo Melton were a part of the rushing attack with two apiece. As for the passing game, WRs Dontayvion Wicks (four), Romeo Doubs (three) and Reed (two) and TE Tucker Kraft (two) were the only pass catchers to record multiple targets. Such game plans may be the norm for Green Bay for as long as Love is sidelined, meaning Watson will be difficult to trust next Sunday at Tennessee.
Watson recorded three catches on five targets for 13 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia in Friday's Week 1 loss. Watson finished with the fewest targets, catches and yards among Green Bay's wideout trio that also includes Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs, though he salvaged his performance from a fantasy perspective with a two-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. The North Dakota State product has shown a nose for the end zone in his NFL career thus far, as Friday's score was his 15th (13 receiving and two rushing) through 24 regular-season games. Despite his low yardage total Friday, Watson finished with just one fewer target than Reed and two fewer that Doubs, and there figures to be a pretty even target share among the trio as the season progresses. However, the potency of the Packers' passing game could suffer if QB Jordan Love, who had to leave the contest in the final seconds of the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury, is forced to miss time.
Watson is on track to practice Thursday after getting hit on the knee at the end of Wednesday's practice, Paul Bretl of ESPN La Crosse 105.5 FM reports. Watson apparently meant it when he downplayed his knee bruise after Wednesday's practice. It looks like it won't cost him any reps, and the more important thing is that he's avoided hamstring injuries (or any other muscular issues) throughout the offseason and now into training camp. There's still some question about target volume in an offense with so many weapons, but Watson's combination of height and speed should make him an important part of the offense as long as he avoids the hamstring problems that plagued him in his first two professional seasons. The Packers are optimistic that Watson figured out the root cause of those problems and then addressed the muscular imbalance/asymmetry with his legs.