Do the Packers' Wide Receiver Injuries Make Tucker Kraft a Fantasy Football Sleeper?

Fantasy football season is underway, and injury news is already starting to impact how we view certain players.

The Green Bay Packers have a bunch of receivers that are currently dealing with ailments, including Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and Dontayvion Wicks. Do these injuries make Tucker Kraft a prime fantasy football sleeper target?

Let's dive into Green Bay's injuries before checking out Kraft's fantasy football outlook for this season.

Note: All ADPs come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Packers Injury Report

Jayden Reed -- Green Bay's leader in catches, targets, and receiving yards in 2024 -- is dealing with a sprained left foot that forced him to don a walking boot during last week's preseason game. He's since been seen without the walking boot but is not participating in on-field activities.

Head coach Matt LaFleur expressed hope that they can get Reed back before the regular season, but there's some concern the ailment could limit his availability for Week 1.

That brings us to the oft-injured Watson, who tore his ACL in Week 18 of the 2024 season. Though Watson is said to be "ahead of the curve" on his recovery, he is expected to begin the season on the PUP list and will likely eye a midseason return.

And then there's Wicks, who has been sitting out of practice and preseason games with a calf injury. Romeo Doubs also missed a week of practice due to a back injury but returned to the field on Monday.

The Pack selected Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's the team's only relevant wide receiver who hasn't dealt with an ailment this preseason. Would Kraft be second in line for targets if Reed misses time? How do Green Bay's injuries impact Kraft's fantasy football outlook?

Tucker Kraft 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Kraft had a mini-breakout in his sophomore campaign, logging 707 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns (tied for fourth-most among tight ends) en route to an overall TE9 finish. He finished just 8.6 total half-PPR points behind last year's TE6 (Travis Kelce).

Kraft currently carries an ADP of TE11 at pick 105.3. Is he a value play at this ADP? Do Green Bay's injuries make him an even bigger value?

He proved capable of big performances last season, managing a TE2 and TE1 weekly finish in Weeks 4 and 5. Kraft was the TE2 behind only George Kittle from Weeks 4 to 8. Behind those big games were some impressive numbers. Kraft netted 14.1 yards per catch in 2024, in large part thanks to pacing all tight ends with 9.1 yards after the catch per reception. Notably, no other tight end who caught 40-plus balls averaged more than 6.7 YAC per reception.

The Packers' receiving room stayed relatively healthy last season, but we did see Kraft get an upgrade when others were missing. Across four games sans Doubs, Kraft ran 74.3% of the routes and earned a team-leading 24.7% target share and 23.5% red zone target share, netting 3.00 yards per route run in the stretch. Kraft averaged 12.7 fantasy points per game in this split compared to 6.7 fantasy points per game outside the split. He also recorded a season-best 88 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in the one game where both Doubs and Watson were sidelined. Thus, it's fair to expect more from Kraft while the big-bodied Watson is sidelined, and the intimidating depth in Green Bay's receiving room is taken down a notch with Reed and Wicks in limbo.

We probably shouldn't go crazy on Kraft, especially since rookie tight ends Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are being drafted in the same range as him. But history shows the Packers are willing to funnel targets through Kraft when down guys, and Kraft has managed to put up exciting numbers when handed an expanded role.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.