Getty Marquez Valdes-Scantling #83 of the Green Bay Packers holds up his fingers as he scores a touchdown on an 78 yard play in the 2nd quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on November 15, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers will be missing all three of their top wide receiver when they take on the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals for Thursday Night Football.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers are not expected to activate fourth-year wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling from injured reserve against the Cardinals and will instead give him additional time to recover from his hamstring injury before their Week 9 game against Kansas City on November 7.
Packers are not expected to activate Marquez Valdez-Scantling before tonight’s game vs. Arizona, giving him more time to recover from his hamstring injury, per source. So no Davante Adams, Allen Lazard nor MVS.
Valdes-Scantling has not played since Week 3’s win over San Francisco when he caught three passes for 59 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He ended up dropping out of the game late in the fourth quarter after pulling up lame at the end of one of his routes and subsequently missed the next week of practice with his injury, setting the stage for him to be placed on IR on October 2.
Valdes-Scantling had never been declared inactive in a single one of his 55 career games for the Packers prior to his hamstring injury. Now, he will be sidelined for the fifth game in a row despite flying to Arizona with the team and seemingly having a chance at making his return in prime-time.
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Assessing the Packers’ Depleted Offense in Week 8
The Packers could have used the boost of Valdes-Scantling’s return given they will also play Thursday night’s game against the Cardinals without two of their other top receivers. Davante Adams and Allen Lazard both remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list and will be unavailable in Arizona, leaving the team with a skeleton crew of receivers that consists of Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Equanimeous St. Brown and Malik Taylor.
It is also expected the Packers will elevate Juwann Winfree from the practice squad; though, they have not yet officially announced that roster move. Any roster moves will need to be made before the deadline at 4 p.m. ET ahead of their 8:20 p.m. kickoff.
Though Winfree would supply some much-needed depth, it is difficult to say his addition will compensate for the loss of their top three receiving weapons. The combination of Adams, Lazard and MVS has accounted for 73 catches, 1,004 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the first seven games, which is just under 50% of the team’s total production through the air this season.
Consequently, the Packers can be expected to lean heavily on their running backs against the Cardinals. Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon and Kylin Hill have all demonstrated they are capable of both rushing out of the backfield and flaring out as pass-catchers. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Aaron Rodgers make more regular use of his tight ends, including 2020 third-rounder Josiah Deguara — who has not gotten much involvement in the passing game thus far (two catches for eight yards on two targets).
Of course, the Packers still have some healthy wideouts who could take advantage of increased reps in Arizona. Cobb isn’t quite the same player he was during his younger years in Green Bay, but the veteran slot receiver has been dependable on third- and fourth-down situations this season and has an electric connection with Rodgers.
Third-round rookie Amari Rodgers has also taken seven or fewer offensive snaps in each of their last six games. Now would be as good of a time as any for the Packers to truly see what he is capable of bringing to their team in the long-term future.
Valdes-Scantling Seems Likely to Return in Week 9
While Valdes-Scantling not getting activated is bad news in the short term, it stands to reason that he will have a good chance of coming back in time for their next matchup against the Chiefs given the distance between the game and his progression in Week 8.
An initial report from Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus indicated that Valdes-Scantling would be a game-day decision for the Packers in Week 8, something that obviously did not pan out for the team but also suggests he was making enough progress to at least get consideration for re-activation. So long as nothing sets him back, it seems likely that he will return to practice at the beginning of next week.
The Packers will also have 10 days between their matchups with the Cardinals (on October 28) and the Chiefs (November 7), giving them ample time to diagnose whether Valdes-Scantling is ready to come off IR. His practice status throughout Week 9 should offer some clues, too, on his chances.