After tacking on a one-year extension to his rookie deal last offseason, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson cashed in this year with a new, four-year deal. Talent has never been his problem; availability is the concern. So now that he’s (hopefully) fully healthy and the crowded wide receiver room has thinned out a bit, is this the year he puts up WR1 numbers?
Matt LaFleur has taken a more-the-merrier approach to his receiving corps ever since Davante Adams left following the 2021 season. Adams was an alpha for years, dominating the target share like a WR1. He was one of the best in the business. Since then, LaFleur has blended quantity with quality. As many a fantasy football owner can attest, you never knew which Packers receiver might stand out on any given Sunday.
However, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks exited stage right in the offseason, and the Packers didn’t do much to address those vacancies. They signed Skyy Moore in free agency, but his role will largely come in the return game instead of wide receiver. Now, for the first time in a bit, the Packers have a true trio atop the depth chart in Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden. It differs from past years where Green Bay had four or five solid options to turn to at any moment.
Watson will begin the season as the undisputed leader of this group. Over the years, his game has become more polished, as has his route tree. When the Packers drafted the former North Dakota State star, they knew he was a vertical threat who could take the lid off a defense. He’s developed into so much more.
With a new deal under his belt, no big setbacks last year after returning from a torn ACL, plus Doubs and Wicks gone, now is the time for Watson to start putting up WR1 numbers.
The most receptions Watson has had in a season is 41, way back in his rookie year. If he plays the full 17-game slate this season — or anything close to it — he should greatly exceed those numbers. Watson tallied 35 receptions in just 10 games in 2025. Over a 17-game season, that would put him right around 60 receptions. Even that number feels a bit light given how the wide receiver room is taking shape for 2026.
The most yards Watson has posted in any one season is 620 back in 2024. Is a 1,000-yard season on the horizon? Maybe that’s a tad too optimistic, but I wouldn’t rule it out.
The WR1 mantle too often comes with a diva mentality. Fortunately for the Packers, Watson has a healthy dose of humility and is a team player through and through, something LaFleur has praised.
“He embodies what we want to be about. I think he’s a team-first kind of guy,” LaFleur said. “Never once over the course of four years have I ever heard him complain about not getting the ball. He does all the little things the right way. He handles himself the right way.”
If we take Watson’s averages from his 10-game run last year and extrapolate them to a full season, he would wind up with 93 targets for 60 receptions, 1,038 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Targets aside, that would put Watson in similar territory to Nico Collins and Tetairoa McMillan. It would also have him sandwiched between what CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson did last season, although both those superstars had down years by their lofty standards.
Not only is Watson healthy, but he also has the peace of mind that comes with financial security following his new deal.
“It is definitely exactly where I imagined I’d be, but it still doesn’t make it any (less) surreal when it does happen,” Watson said. “I was definitely looking forward to this moment. It was definitely where I pictured myself, but for it to come to fruition, definitely it was crazy.”
With that box checked and a clear spot at the top of the depth chart, the Packers have cleared the runway for Christian Watson to wear the label as Green Bay’s WR1, and to back it up with serious numbers.
