Brian Thomas
vs Christian Watson

“Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAC) Brian Thomas had a majorly disappointing, injury-affected sophomore campaign, finishing as fantasy football WR43 overall and WR47 in PPG across 14 games. He averaged 8.2 half-PPR PPG on an 18% target share with 50.5 receiving yards/game, 3 total TDs, and just 7 red-zone targets.”

“Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated names Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. as one player to watch in training camp as a "swing factor" after a productive rookie season in 2024 before struggling last season. According to Breer, Jacksonville never considered "selling low" on Thomas after his sophomore slump, and Thomas has had a "constant presence" at the team's facility this offseason and is spending as much time as possible with QB Trevor Lawrence.”

“It's hard to trust Brian Thomas Jr. as a WR2 in PPR leagues. In situations where Meyers was on the field for the Jaguars last season, Thomas's target share was third on the team at under 17%, and he only caught 18 out of 30 targets for 287 yards and scored once.”

“As a rookie, Thomas had 1,292 yards, 87 receptions and 10 touchdowns. This led to a WR4 finish on the season and a second-round pick in redraft leagues the following season. Thomas then repaid ambitious fantasy managers with a WR44 performance in points per game in 2025.”

“Thomas, 23, posted 1,282 receiving yards as a rookie but saw his production drop significantly the following season. That was partially due to a few injuries that sidelined him for three games and lingered into the offseason.”

“Jakobi Meyers feels Thomas's football IQ is something that gets overlooked in his game, and believes the longer he's around the game and in his offense, the more he's going to continue to get better and better.”

“Knowing the current situation of Christian Watson , would you trade him away straight up for Matthew Golden ? – natedawg205 Answer: Oh look, another BOAT question, although this time we’re going from the 25-meter yacht to…well, a 20-meter one. The Ballers have waxed lyrical about both of these players this past week, and although Andy may have recommended trading Christian Watson away, I sure as heck would not advise packing him off in return for his teammate, even if Golden has seen more looks from Jordan Love on the year. Watson has more receptions (17-15), more yards (284-253), and most importantly…more TDs (4-1).”

“Christian Watson scored four TDs in three weeks, and a dip in TDs would be detrimental to Watson’s fantasy production.”

“Christian Watson caught 7 of 10 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown — Green Bay’s opening score of the game. His share of the offense fell sharply week over week, but that’s because Matthew Golden’s target count exploded and the team threw 20 more times than last week. Target share fell sharply (33.3% → 18.9% adjusted) even though his raw target count only dropped by one (11 → 10).”

“Christian Watson (TRUST) Watson has opened the season with games of 6-147-2 (8 targets) and 4-41-1 (11 targets). Watson has played 82.6% and 93.8% of the dropbacks in the first two games, with target shares of 20% and 37.9%. With Jayden Reed going down last week, this passing tree became more concentrated.”

“Christian Watson – 11 targets, 4 rec Watson has averaged just 4.9 targets/game over his career and played just 12 games per season over his first four seasons. At his current rate, he’s on pace for 162 targets in 17 games. Even if he does play the full allotment of games, that target total is probably a bit unrealistic, though he is clearly Green Bay’s alpha WR through two games.”

“Matthew Golden – 12 targets, 6 rec Christian Watson – 8 targets, 6 rec Jayden Reed – 7 targets, 3 rec Christian Watson and his two TDs stole the show, but Golden’s team-high 12 targets need to be noted. Last year’s first-round pick saw just 44 targets as a rookie, and never more than six in a single game. It is also worth mentioning slot WR Jayden Reed , whose seven targets were more than he saw in any game during his injury-plagued 2025 season.”

“Watson played 77.4% of the snaps, ran 81.4% of the routes, and had a 19% target share. Second-year wideout Golden had 85.5% of the snaps, ran 88.4% of the routes, and had a 28.6% target share. Reed was last with 58.1% of the snaps, ran 67.4% of the routes, and had a 16.7% target share.”

“Christian Watson finished second on the team in targets behind Matthew Golden but finished with a 6/147/2 split on the heels of an 81-yard touchdown reception where he broke away from Vikings defenders. With the Packers’ run game being non-existent, expect more pass-heavy scripts from Watson and Co. moving forward. Stud:”

“Christian Watson got the bag this offseason and should be considered the clear WR1 for the Green Bay Packers. Watson deserved the payday as he proved that he can handle this role last year. Last season, in Weeks 8-18, he was the WR21 in fantasy points per game with an 18.2% target share, 61.1 receiving yards per game, 2.67 yards per route run, a 23.9% first-read share, and 0.122 first downs per route run.”

“Christian Watson (WR – GB) Christian Watson earned a new contract this offseason and should enter 2026 as the Packers’ clear WR1 after proving last year that he could handle the role.”

“Last season, Watson was the WR15 on a points-per-game basis among wide receivers with at least nine games played, averaging 13.2 PPR fantasy points per contest despite averaging only 5.5 targets per outing. Unfortunately, the former North Dakota State star only played in 10 games after missing the first seven weeks recovering from a torn ACL.”