Jayden Reed's Outlook Shaky Even Beyond Week 1

What They're Saying

Wilde: "Reed did not want to discuss the specifics of his foot injury, but a league source said Wednesday evening that Reed has a Jones fracture -- a break in his fifth metatarsal, the bone that joins the pinkie toe to the base of the foot. ... A Jones fracture can require surgery, and most who suffer the injury require a few months to recover. Reed has no interest in such a timeline. The Packers open regular-season play on Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field, and he intends to be in the lineup."

Reed, asked what he can do for the injury: "Just rest, man. What I've got going on, there's not much I can do. But I'm going to manage it and get rest and treat it."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

You'll still find Reed in mid-to-low WR4 range of our WR rankings, because we can't assume any number of lost games for this injury he says he'll manage. But this revelation leaves me not interested to draft the wideout.

The best-case scenario for Reed is that he does manage the injury and plays all season on a hurting left foot. None of us can know, of course, just how much that foot is hurting and how much it will limit his effectiveness.

But I feel pretty comfy in assuming that Reed with broken bone in his left foot will be less effective than Reed with all his bones intact. And that's especially important for a player whose fantasy production to this point has relied heavily on outperforming his usage.

Last season found Reed ranking 42nd in PPR points per game while tying for just 63rd in expected points per game.

His rookie year looked similar:

• tied for 26th in PPR points per game
• 45th in expected points per game

The other path here: Reed either exacerbates the injury or simply figures out that he can't play through it. We've seen plenty of NFL players get the Jones-fracture repair. We've even seen some return within the year in which that happened.

But that scenario would almost certainly cost Reed at least half the season. And the later it happens, of course, the less likely he'd return at all in 2025.

So I'd rather take a shot on some other upside target, even in that low-WR4 to WR5 range.

Other Winners & Losers

Any missed time for Reed would obviously boost the target outlooks for other Packers WRs. There's also room for some target diversion if Reed's playing but less effectively.

Matthew Golden faces an easier path to lead-WR production in light of Reed's injury. If the slot man misses games, then lineup shuffling could move Dontayvion Wicks into a starting position. It could also mean some snaps for rookie Savion Williams.