Is Jayden Reed Injured or Playing In Week 2? Should I Start Christian Watson For Fantasy Football?

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (shin/calf) had a massive game in Week 1, finishing as the WR1 overall for the week and scoring 33.1 PPR fantasy points. Reed showed dominance in both receiving and rushing, scoring touchdowns on the ground and through the air.

Reed appears to be building off his 2023 season, where he was in the midst of a breakout when the season ended. Reed looks to be taking over the Packers WR1 job, if not by usage than by sheer talent and production.

However, as surely as the sun rises in the morning, players get injured sometimes. Is Reed injured or playing in Week 2? Should you start his fellow receiver, Christian Watson? Let's dive in.

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Is Jayden Reed Playing In Week 2?

UPDATE: Reed is officially ACTIVE for Week 2

Reed will appear on the injury report with a shin/calf injury, per Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, on Friday. LaFleur indicated this in a press conference Friday.

Jayden Reed is dealing with a shin/calf injury per Matt LaFleur.

— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) September 13, 2024

The extent and severity of the injury are not known. However, if there's anything we know at this point, it's that calf injuries are a big thing to worry about.

San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey may be headed to IR due to his calf injury that he's been dealing with since early August. Last year, both Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow came into the season with calf injuries, and the results were catastrophic.

There's not much reason to panic with Reed yet. However, with Packers QB Jordan Love likely to miss at least a few games, the Packers could choose to err on the side of caution and limit Reed's usage in games or hold him out entirely. It remains to be seen though. For now, it's something to keep an eye on, but we were already expecting Reed's scoring to go down because backup QB Malik Willis is very bad.

Should I Start Christian Watson for Fantasy Football Week 2?

Watson is an intriguing player to start if Reed is limited or out, but with Willis at QB, it might just be so bad that no Packers receivers are relevant. It's not true that at least one of them has to produce. Willis is absolutely horrible and has never supported a fantasy-relevant receiver. You're hoping for a lucky touchdown, for Willis to magically take a huge leap, or for some gadget rushing plays or designed targets.

Malik Willis w/ a rough INT. Either he doesn't see it or he misses it by yards. Both bad. Again, scrap the heel click base. #Titans
Full video: https://t.co/OOXi7F4W2y pic.twitter.com/pPmkFAyDS4

— The QB School (@theqbschool) September 1, 2023

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is an excellent choice to shore up Willis' deficiencies and make the most out of him, but he could still not be able to overcome Willis' lack of skill. Willis shouldn't be starting a game of pro football, but there's a lack of startable quarterbacks in the NFL, so that plays a factor.

It's tough to say what the offense will look like with Willis under center, but it's not tough to say it will probably be bad. Watson didn't have a great game in Week 1 even with Love starting, catching just three passes for 13 yards, bailing out his fantasy day with a touchdown.

If you have no one else to start in your FLEX spot, he could be an okay start, but he's probably better left on the bench as long as Willis is playing.

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