The Green Bay Packers continue their methodical approach with their injured wide receiver as his recovery timeline stretches into early November. Jayden Reed remains on injured reserve following surgeries to repair both his collarbone and foot injuries. With Reed now eligible to be activated from injured reserve, should fantasy football managers expect his imminent return to action ?
Jayden Reed Injury Update
Reed broke his collarbone in the Green Bay Packers’ Week 2 win over Washington after landing awkwardly on his shoulder following a touchdown reception that was negated by a penalty. The situation was even more complicated because he was already managing a Jones fracture in his foot that occurred during training camp.
Green Bay placed Reed on injured reserve, and he went under the knife on September 16 to address both the collarbone and foot fractures at once. This combined surgical approach ensures Reed will be completely healthy when he comes back, though it has pushed the recovery period toward the upper end of expectations.
While Reed is technically eligible for activation from IR now, that timetable is still too soon given where he is in the healing process. Standard recovery for collarbone injuries runs six to eight weeks, and medical professionals anticipate Reed will land closer to eight weeks than the more optimistic six-week estimate.
Head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged earlier that Reed would ‘miss a lot of time’ while maintaining confidence about a return this season. Since the surgery, though, the team and medical personnel have been quiet about his progress, suggesting they’re not feeling pressured to accelerate his comeback.
Reed shared a mini-documentary that showed him without his sling after just a few weeks and working on his rehab at Lambeau Field, though this doesn’t mean he’s prepared for full football activities.
The team’s Week 11 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 17 looks like the most plausible return date, although that’s still somewhat aggressive considering he’s recovering from two separate injuries.
Reed’s Fantasy Outlook
By the time Reed gets back on the field, he’ll be walking into a substantially altered receiving room that may affect his standing within the offense. Christian Watson made his season debut in Week 8 versus Pittsburgh after recovering from ACL surgery, hauling in four catches for 85 yards.
Romeo Doubs has taken over as the unquestioned top receiver while Reed has been out, routinely logging at least 85% of the offensive snaps. No other Packers wide receiver has hit 80% snap rate in a single game this year. Through nine weeks, Doubs paces all Green Bay pass-catchers in fantasy scoring.
Matthew Golden hasn’t developed quite as the team envisioned, though he’ll still be present on the field eating into Reed’s opportunities.
Green Bay has never treated Reed as an every-snap player, which puts a ceiling on his fantasy value even at full health. His absence from three-receiver sets restricts both his playing time and his chances to see targets relative to teammates.
Watson’s return and immediate production means the receiving corps will be that much more congested when Reed is cleared. The Packers now have defined roles carved out for Doubs and Watson, with Golden mixing it, albeit not as frequently, as well.
Reed probably won’t provide substantial fantasy production even after he’s activated. He still carries boom-or-bust upside, but the deeper depth chart and his restricted usage make him too inconsistent for reliable weekly starts.