The Green Bay Packers managed to address several roster holes in the offseason. However, they are lacking depth at a handful of key position groups, including the offensive line and running back. Couple that with the fact that they didn't truly take a big swing, and it's not shocking to see general manager Brian Gutenkust catch a bit of heat.
Having said that, maybe Gutenkust didn't have to make a bold move because he traded for Micah Parsons last year, and the Packers already have a talented roster core in place. On defense, fixing the secondary and bringing in Jonathan Gannon as the defensive coordinator was huge.
On offense, Matthew Golden is expected to take off after a promising outing in the playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. Similarly, fellow Jayden Reed should have no trouble putting up jaw-dropping numbers in 2026, as a Fantasy Football writer suggests.
The Packers will love this Jayden Reed Fantasy Football projection
ESPN dropped a list of 100 predictions for the 2026 season, and Eric Moody came up with 10 focused on Fantasy Football. He projects Jayden Reed to be a fantasy sleeper, pointing out that the fourth-year receiver finished in the top 30 in both 2022 and 2023.
"Reed was limited to seven games and 22 targets last season after sustaining a broken clavicle, but he had top-30 fantasy finishes in both 2023 and 2024," Moody wrote. "Reed's 2026 outlook improves after the Packers moved on from Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs this offseason."
For context, Reed hauled in a solid 64 receptions for 793 yards with eight touchdowns in 2023 and 55 catches for 857 yards with three touchdowns the following year. This is why Moody's prediction isn't far-fetched at all.
After all, the Packers let Romeo Doubs bolt in free agency and later traded Dontayvon Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles just before the NFL Draft. With both of them out of the picture, Reed should have way more chances next season.
Granted, a broken collarbone limited Reed to seven games with three starts last year. However, he doesn't appear to be dealing with any setbacks in his recovery, and signs point toward him being back at full strength in 2026. The fact that he just signed a three-year extension worth $50.2 million proves that Green Bay is confident he'll make an impact next season.
You could make the case that Matthew Golden will get the lion's share of the targets, but Reed will remain a focal point of the offense, especially when you take into account that tight end Tucker Kraft is also recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last year.
Kraft's injury is relevant to Reed's workload because he may not be at full strength come Week 1, and the Packers will need someone who can operate in the middle. That's Reed's bread and butter.
Throughout his career, the former Michigan State Spartan has mostly operated in the slot. As Amon-Ra St. Brown, Christian Kirk, and Cooper Kupp have proven, a receiver who mainly operates inside can still produce big numbers.
Jayden Reed's Fantasy projection should benefit the Packers on the football field
Keep in mind that Eric Moody came up with a Fantasy Football prediction for Jayden Reed, but it should translate into a pretty good statline next season. And that's the thing, the Green Bay backfield has some serious question marks with Josh Jacobs dealing with off-field issues and MarShawn Lloyd struggling to stay healthy.
If the Packers have trouble toting the rock, they may need to lean heavily on Jordan Love, which in turn will allow Reed, Matthew Golden, and Christian Watson to put up even better numbers in 2026.
Either way, expect Jayden Reed to pick up where he left off before he got hurt and turn into a playmaker for the Packers next season.
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