The Green Bay Packers aren’t short on promising young pass catchers entering the 2024 NFL season. The vast majority of their receiving core is made up of second-year and third-year players vying for the lion’s share of work in this passing attack.
After producing a handful of encouraging performances throughout his rookie year, can fantasy football managers expect Dontayvion Wicks to make the leap into low-end WR2 territory entering his second season in the NFL?
Dontayvion Wicks’ 2024 Fantasy Forecast
On the surface, the production we saw from Wicks over his rookie campaign was solid but nothing earth-shattering. His 39 receptions for 581 yards and four scores over 58 targets (a WR58 overall finish in full-PPR formats) suggest he can contribute to NFL offense.
However, when you add a bit more context, this production profile can give fantasy managers some reasons to believe in a potential Year 2 breakout for the Virginia product.
Wicks was buried on the depth chart for the vast majority of his first 12 games as a rookie but managed to produce three games with 10 or more fantasy points over the final four regular-season games. In the two games he saw higher than a 70% snap share, he finished with 13 or more fantasy points.
This doesn’t even include Wicks scoring a touchdown in the team’s Wild Card Round upset over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL postseason. The flashes of big-play ability, route-running nuance, and reliable hands all indicate he can be a very productive fantasy player if given enough opportunities.
Yet, the number of players vying for targets in this passing attack is pretty overwhelming. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed have all had their encouraging moments on the field early in their respective careers, too. That makes it pretty difficult to plant your flag on one player to become Jordan Love’s go-to receiver.
Wicks only emerged as a Flex-worthy option when Watson got hurt, which is probably the main reason why many fantasy managers aren’t anticipating a full-blown breakout season in 2024.
The talent and situation are certainly intriguing, but he will likely have to outplay Watson in order to see enough work to be a consistent fantasy producer this season.
Wicks’ ADP at No. 158 overall in the 14th round as WR66 off the board means he is going undrafted in many drafts while acting as a late-round dart throw in others. For some additional context, Wicks is coming off the board just behind Jahan Dotson, Josh Downs, and Xavier Legette.
Wicks represents the best draft-day value if you would like to get a share of this Green Bay passing game in 2024. The idea of simply getting a piece of an undetermined target hierarchy — in what projects to be a very productive aerial attack — has proven to be a sound strategy in the past.
The undetermined target distribution for the Los Angeles Rams offense behind Cooper Kupp last year helped manufacture a historic rookie year from Puka Nacua in 2023. Of course, this comparison is not apples to apples, but if you were to ask people who they would put their money on to lead this team in targets in 2024, I’d imagine you wouldn’t see a single player earn 50% of the votes.
The uncertainty of this passing attack is exactly why Wicks presents a great amount of fantasy upside at his current draft-day price.
