Through the first three weeks of this 2025 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers haven't really had a genuine WR1. Truth be told, that's pretty much been the case since Davante Adams was shipped to the Las Vegas Raiders following the 2021 campaign, as Green Bay hasn't had a pass catcher of any kind reach the 1,000-yard mark since.
For the last two seasons, Jayden Reed has led the Packers in receiving yards, going for 793 in 2023 and 857 in 2024. But he wasn't quite himself coming into this season after suffering a foot injury during training camp, and he'll now be on the shelf for the foreseeable future after breaking his collarbone in the Packers' Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders.
But even with Reed on the field, Jordan Love, as he's done the past two years, has been going with the by-committee approach, with 11 different players recording at least one reception through these first three weeks.
As for yardage, tight end Tucker Kraft actually leads the way with 11 catches for 169 yards, and Romeo Doubs sits in second, tallying 121 yards on seven receptions. Those are the only two in triple digits thus far.
Sitting in third at the moment is Dontayvion Wicks. Here's the wild thing about him, though. Despite having just 95 yards on eight catches with zero touchdowns, the 24-year-old ranks eighth among all wide receivers in the NFL with a PFF 75.6 overall offensive grade. No, seriously, that's a thing.
Dontayvion Wicks is set up for a big day against the Dallas Cowboys
One of the reasons for this is because he's failed to drop a single pass thrown in his direction, which is obviously a bonus for Green Bay, given some of the issues he had in that regard a season ago. He's also been a solid blocker these first few games, particularly on the pass-blocking side of things, earning a 78.1 mark in that department.
But while blocking is great, Wicks is undoubtedly looking for a big outing as far as catching passes is concerned. And we're thinking he's poised for such a performance this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, one could say the same for first-round rookie Matthew Golden, who finally had a bit of a breakout game against the Browns this past Sunday, catching a career-high four passes for a career-best 52 yards. Packers fans are still trying to forget the mistake he made that could've put the game out of reach, but there's nothing that can be done about that now.
Golden will undoubtedly have his truly big game soon, but we're thinking this week will belong to Wicks.
It's no secret that the Cowboys' secondary has been absolutely atrocious thus far, as Dallas has already made Russell Wilson (who just got benched by the Giants) and Caleb Williams look like MVP candidates.
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Yes, the Cowboys should be in better shape this week, as it looks like DaRon Bland will be back on the field after missing the last two weeks with a foot injury. But that won't solve all of their problems.
Trevon Diggs still doesn't look quite like himself, and Kaiir Elam hasn't been much help at all. And it's that latter matchup that we're certain Wicks can win.
Elam currently ranks in the 92nd percentile in receiving yards allowed per coverage snap, while Wicks ranks seventh among all wideouts with a 91.3 PFF grade from the intermediate level of the field, where he’s secured all five of his targets for 68 yards.
And it's those mid-level yards that are going to add up on Sunday. The Dallas defense will undoubtedly have to pay a lot of attention to Kraft at that same intermediate level. Doubs has been a deep threat, and Golden is finally trending in that direction as well.
So, Love should be able to get the ball to Wicks with relative ease—if the Packers' depleted offensive line gives him enough time to throw, that is.