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The Green Bay Packers had the youngest receiving corps in the NFL in 2023 and they might have the youngest again in 2024.
While the Packers receivers and quarterback Jordan Love got off to a rocky start at the beginning of last season, they eventually got on the same page and ended the year as if Love was Brett Favre and he was throwing to Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, and Jordy Nelson. The Packers went 6-2 over their final eight regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs, then upset the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round.
Green Bay is loaded with young, talented receivers on their roster. The three best are Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs. All have major roles in the Packers passing attack, but which one will emerge to be Love’s WR1 this season?
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Who is the WR1 of the Green Bay Packers?
Doubs looks like the WR1 heading into 2024. Based on what he did down the stretch and during the playoffs, he was the receiver Love targeted the most and had the most faith in. Dobbs led the team in targets with 96 during the regular season and caught 10 of the 12 passes thrown to him for 234 yards and a TD during the postseason.
NFL Leaders in PLAYOFF Receiving Yards:
1. Travis Kelce: 355
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown: 274
3. Rashee Rice: 262
4. Romeo Doubs: 234
5. Mike Evans: 195
6. Puka Nacua: 181 - played only 1 game!!
7. Sam LaPorta: 176
8. Nico Collins: 164
9. Zay Flowers: 156
10. Cade Otton: 154 (wow) pic.twitter.com/EidW8lFjSG— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) May 6, 2024
Doubs can make plays in traffic, he can run 15-yard hook routes, can outjump guys for balls in the end zone (eight TDs in 2023), and he can go deep (although he is not the burner the other two are). He is the best flat-out receiver of the bunch. He is not a role player or someone who specializes in gadget plays. Doubs is a guy who could turn in a 1,000-yard year with 10 touchdowns if his target total continues to climb into the triple digits and beyond. He turned the corner at the end of last season.
Watson is the fastest of the trio and has the most big-play ability. The problem is his constant leg injuries have made him unreliable (11 missed games in two years), and he is more of a home run hitter than someone who makes big third-down catches or tough catches over the middle.
With 12 touchdowns and a 15.0 YPC over his 23 career contests, there is no doubt Watson is a premier playmaker when he suits up. Just realize that he is not a 100-catch guy who can be on the field 15 to 17 games in a season. He is not GB’s WR1.
Reed is a great route runner out of the slot and has a nose for the end zone (10 total TDs). He has also shown he can be utilized as a runner (10.8 YPC on 11 attempts), so he is the most versatile of the bunch heading into his sophomore season.
Reed’s size (5-foot-11, 187 lbs) probably precludes him from being the go-to guy in the offense. Unless you have the world-class speed of Miami’s Tyreek Hill, one of the best deep threats in the history of the NFL, it is almost impossible to be a No. 1 WR in the NFL if you are not six feet tall. Reed might be hard-pressed to stay healthy if he has 120 targets/touches in a season, especially since some of them come on running plays.
All three receivers have fantasy values on the upswing due to their notable improvement in addition to Love’s. Judging by how 2023 ended, the Packers' skilled position players should all have arrows pointing in the right direction fantasy-wise in 2024, especially now that newly-acquired Josh Jacobs will lead the backfield and open up passing lanes for Love. However, Dobbs seems to be the No. 1 WR in Green Bay for the upcoming season.
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