The NFL season is nearing its end. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 16 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Christian Watson missed some practice time this week due to injury. What is his current status and outlook for tonight’s game?
Is Christian Watson Playing Week 16?
Update:Â Watson is ACTIVE
Watson is not doing himself any favors to shed the injury-prone label. The fourth-year receiver landed hard on his shoulder in the third quarter of Sunday’s contest. Watson left the game and did not return.​
The injury occurred when Watson attempted to catch a deep pass from quarterback Jordan Love. Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II cut Watson off and made a leaping interception. In the process, Watson fell to the turf and landed heavily on his left shoulder.​
Watson remained down on the field, writhing in pain and clutching his left shoulder. The Packers initially ruled him questionable to return with a chest injury, but they downgraded him to out roughly 15 minutes after issuing their first update.
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Things grew more concerning when Watson took an ambulance to a local hospital in the postgame for further examination of his injury. The hospital visit was a precautionary measure to perform a CT scan. Watson was cleared to travel home with the team following the examination.​
The situation looked bad, but some positive news arrived on Monday. Ian Rapoport reported that Watson did not suffer a major injury. Additional tests did not show anything to Watson’s chest or shoulder that would require an extended absence.​
Watson did not practice on Tuesday, but was able to get in limited sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday. This is very encouraging, especially given how it looked on the field when he went down.​
Watson is listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game. The official designation is that it is a chest/shoulder injury. It sounds more like a contusion than anything serious. Head coach Matt LaFleur described Watson’s practice as encouraging.
The fact that Watson was able to practice in limited fashion on both Wednesday and Thursday is a very good sign for his availability. It sounds like he is trending toward playing. LaFleur noted he will give Watson as much time as possible before determining if he can play.​
Watson had previously missed the first six games of the season due to recovery from a torn ACL he suffered during the final game of the 2024 season on January 5, 2025. Despite facing numerous injuries throughout his career, the receiver has been showcasing some of his finest performances lately, serving as the team’s primary target.​
Ian Rapaport reported that Watson “should be able to go” tonight.
Watson’s Fantasy Football Outlook
There are a lot of moving pieces here, but the most important advice I can give is to keep an ear to the ground.
Watson was injured on a deep pass last week, a ball that Patrick Surtain picked off while Watson hit the cold field without the ability to brace himself.
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The team ended up labeling it as a chest injury and they actually sent him to the local hospital to get checked out for lung damage, but he cleared the needed steps and traveled home with the team.
He was able to avoid serious injury, though that doesn’t mean he is a lock to play on Saturday. He’s appeared in just 46 games across his four NFL seasons, so it’s not as if we have the picture of health here and as much as I hate the Green Bay WR depth chart (too many similar players without a true top threat), they are uniquely positioned to withstand an absence should they need to.
As of right now, I’ve got Watson on the wrong side of questionable and carrying too much risk to count on. That said, you will have a clear picture of his status ahead of time due to the early kickoff of this game and that helps.
It was just two weeks ago that he turned four targets into 89 yards and a pair of scores in this very matchup. That’s not to say he’s a must play should he be active, but more of a reminder that this aerial attack can have success in this critical spot.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
