Matthew Golden is one of the most polarizing players in fantasy football this year. However, Hayden Winks of Yahoo Sports has a bold prediction that should have Green Bay Packers fans excited about the second-year wide receiver.
The fantasy analyst sees Golden finishing the year as one of the 40 best wide receivers in fantasy football. Considering his rookie season and the fact that he is being drafted as the 51st-best wide receiver, that would represent quite an impressive season.
Winks noted that Golden has more target opportunities, and he personally liked the way Golden looked on video. However, his biggest argument comes down to the offense as a whole playing faster.
“This training camp, a goal for the Packers is to pick up the pace,” Winks wrote. “If they play faster, throw more, or both, then Golden doesn’t even have to be a real top target to be a fantasy contributor. I’m not ruling out that he is a legit top target, so I’m a big believer in him as a fantasy football sleeper.”
So, Golden is impacted by the players around him, the play calling around him, and his play. If all three point positively, it will be a good season.
Green Bay Packers WR Matthew Golden Could Outproduce Fantasy Football Expectations
GettyMatthew Golden kept it real when discussing the fact he had a breakout performance in the Packers’ season-ending loss
The Packers’ neutral drop-back rate ranked 28th in the NFL last season. They also ranked 22nd in seconds per play, and 24th in offensive plays run per game. The Packers had a strong defense to start the season, and they leaned on the run game to slow games down and win by sucking the life out of their opponent.
However, this year they have a new defensive coordinator, a battle at cornerback, a repaired defensive front, and Micah Parsons missing for the first few weeks. They can overcome some of this, and some things can be spun as a positive.
However, the team cannot enter the year as confident in their defense. They also want to be more confident in Jordan Love and the offense.
Beyond Golden, the team is expected to see a healthy version of Christian Watson and Jayden Reed.
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Reed had led the team in yards for two seasons, but last year he had just 207 yards. He played in seven games due to a clavicle issue. Christian Watson only suited up for ten games and had 611 yards.
So, the team was without their top two threats for a good chunk of the year, and their first-round rookie was being eased into the mix. It makes sense for the Packers to want to slow things down.
Now, they want to lean into the strength of these playmakers. Watson and Reed are healthy and have shown they can produce. They should be able to make life easier for Golden, who will firmly be in the target mix with those three.
The entire Packers offense should look better on paper next year. It should lead to all three outproducing expectations. This is a time to bet on Golden.
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