Five Under-the-Radar Players for Packers at Vikings

The Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) will finish the regular season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings (8-8) on Sunday. With the starters unlikely to play, here are five young players who will get their chance to shine.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Bo Melton (16) celebrates a touchdown catch at the Bears. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Having locked up the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers will rest as many of their key starters as possible for Sunday’s game at the Minnesota Vikings to keep everybody healthy. 

That means a lot of backups will have an opportunity to step into larger roles for the first time since preseason, and some who have been playing in a limited capacity all season will get a chance to prove themselves headed into the playoffs. 

Here are five players who haven’t been key starters all season but could get an opportunity to be playmakers on Sunday. 

1. WR/CB Bo Melton 

One of the biggest stories of the preseason was Bo Melton making the switch from  receiver to cornerback, where the Packers were lacking depth at the time. After Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter made a splash coming into the season as one of the first two-way players to play in the NFL in a while, Melton hoped for the same opportunity.

While he spent most of his time on the defensive side of the ball in preseason, he hasn’t played a snap at corner this season. Entering Sunday, he has played 83 snaps on offense and 176 on special teams, like he did the previous two seasons. 

With injuries plaguing the Packers all season, Melton is one of nine pass catchers to have more than 100 yards on the season, highlighted by a 45-yard touchdown reception Week 14 against the Chicago Bears. 

Melton might finally get his chance to play both sides of the ball this week against the Vikings. Even with the addition of Trevon Diggs to the secondary, it is likely that the Packers’ top cornerbacks in Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine will not play much, if at all, in order to stay healthy before the playoffs. 

At receiver, Dontayvion Wicks is doubtful, Savion Williams is out and the Packers probably won’t want to risk Christian Watson, Jayden Reed or Romeo Doubs. That could mean double duty for Melton.

Bo Melton wears a green defensive jersey at training camp. This week, he was on defense on Wednesday and offense Thursday and Friday. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“It definitely would be fun,” he said. “That’s the fun part of it all, being able to play both sides. That’s something I want to tell my son as he’s growing up, stuff like that. So, definitely, that’s going to be the fun part of it. You know, the grind is going to be the grind of the week, but it’s a blessing. It’s an opportunity, going against the three great receivers they got over there. So, it’s opportunity to have fun and do your job.”

With the possibility of playing cornerback, receiver and kick returner in one game becoming more real every day, Melton is starting to visualize having an impact in all aspects of the game. 

“I've been having some good dreams about getting an interception and a kick return, for sure, and, offensively, scoring a touchdown, stuff like that,” he said. “But I've been having some good dreams lately. Man, hopefully I keep having them.” 

If his dreams came true, it would be a historic performance. No player has had an interception and touchdown reception in a game since Eagles safety Brian Dawkins in 2002, according to Stathead. The only other player since the merger was Cardinals receiver Roy Green in 1981. Not even the great Deion Sanders accomplished the feat.

If Melton is going to have a game like that anywhere, U.S. Bank Stadium might be the place for him. In a resounding 33-10 Packers win late in the 2023 season, Melton had the best game of his career. 

“I had my first 100-yard game there,” he said. “So, definitely excited just to get back there. It’s a great atmosphere. Excited for our guys, you know, just go out there and play some good football.” 

Melton led the team in receiving yards that day, and he may have a chance to do it again this week with the top receivers unlikely to play much or at all.

While he will have a good opportunity to see a lot of targets on offense, all eyes will be on Melton when he takes his first regular season snaps at cornerback to see if the Packers do have their own two-way player. 

Between offense, defense and his duties on special teams, how many snaps could he play?

“We’re about to find out,” he said to laughter. “Definitely about to find out.”

2. QB Clayton Tune 

Even with Jordan Love clearing concussion protocol and Malik Willis questionable due to shoulder and hamstring injuries, it will be Clayton Tune, who finished last week’s game against the Bears, starting on Sunday. 

After throwing for 4,074 yards and 40 touchdowns in his senior season at Houston, Tune was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round in 2023 as a backup to Kyler Murray. He started one game in two seasons with Arizona, was signed to the Packers’ practice squad after training camp and was elevated to the gameday roster last week following Love’s concussion. 

Green Bay Packers Clayton Tune throw a pass against the Baltimore Ravens. He will start at the Vikings on Sunday. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It will be Tune’s first start since his rookie season. He struggled last week in relief of Willis, completing one pass and throwing an interception, and he will look to improve this week while leading a bunch of backups against a superb Vikings defense. 

“Any time you get to play, it’s a blessing,” he said. “So, whatever the circumstances are, I don’t really look at that. I just look at it as it’s a great opportunity.”

3. WR Matthew Golden 

It has been said all year, but this may actually be Matthew Golden’s biggest opportunity to have a big offensive impact. 

After becoming the Packers’ first receiver drafted in the first round in 20 years, Golden has had a disappointing season, bringing in 28 catches for 353 yards and no touchdowns. Wrist and shoulder injuries slowed him at midseason, and the returns of Christian Watson and Jayden Reed from serious injuries have limited his playing time down the stretch.

He’ll get his chance this week. With Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed either unlikely to play or playing in limited fashion, Golden is the Packers’ top remaining receiver. If he is able to rebuild a connection with Clayton Tune, his quarterback at the University of Houston for one season, Golden could finally have a real impact in the passing game and might get the first career touchdown. 

4. S Kitan Oladapo 

With Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams almost certainly out for Sunday, Kitan Oladapo probably will make his first NFL start and get an opportunity to prove himself as a reliable option at safety. 

“I’m excited for this weekend, excited for the opportunity,” he said. “Just go out there and show the coaches what I can do.”

Oladapo was a fifth-round pick by the Packers in 2024 and has spent most of his time on special teams in his two years with the team. He has played two snaps on defense this season. Of his 70 career snaps on defense, 50 came in Week 18 against Chicago last year, when he played well with five tackles.

Oladapo will have an opportunity to step up and fill in for McKinney’s ball-hawking ability and Williams’ physicality in the run game as he searches for his first career interception. Moreover, it will be up to Oladapo to lead a back end that could be incredibly young.

5. RB Chris Brooks 

With Josh Jacobs not only being a key starter but also dealing with injuries all season, there is almost no chance he will suit up on Sunday. That means capable backup Emanuel Wilson, who rushed for more than 100 yards against the Vikings at Lambeau Field, will take on the lead role in the rematch.

Since this is about under-the-radar players, an expanded opportunity for Wilson should mean more chances for Chris Brooks, as well.

While not as explosive as Jacobs and Wilson, Brooks has been a reliable contributor for the Packers, especially in pass-protecting assignments. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is renowned for his blitz packages, which means a critical role for Brooks.

Brooks has carried 14 times for just 45 yards this season. However, he averaged 5.6 yards per carry with the Dolphins as a rookie in 2023 and 5.1 yards per carry with the Packers in 2024.

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER