MatthewGolden

News: 4 hours agoGolden failed to see a target in Thursday's 28-9 preseason loss to the Steelers.

Spin: The Packers began the game with most of their offensive starters on the field, including QB Jordan Love, but they all made quick exits. Golden, the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign in which he failed to find the end zone in 14 regular-season contests. He'll battle Christian Watson and Jayden Reed for looks from Love, but as in years past in coach Matt LaFleur's offense, who the actual top option is could change from week to week.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Golden is eyeing a Year 2 leap following a disappointing rookie season in which he was limited to 39 touches and failed to find the end zone in 14 regular-season games. Golden was limited to 53% of the snaps and never cleared six targets in a single outing. Some optimism was generated from Golden's 4-84-1 receiving line in the playoff loss to Chicago, but even with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, it's unclear if he will actually see a big boost in usage in Matt LaFleur's offense considering that no Green Bay receiver has cleared a 21% target share since Davante Adams' departure prior to 2022. The speedy Golden, who also contributes as a rusher, is a recent first-round pick entering his second season. He's worth a speculative middle-round flier.