Jayden Reed Is A Fantasy Football Sleeper Despite The Arrival Of Matthew Golden

Green Bay Packers WR Jayden Reed enters 2025 fantasy football drafts as a boom-or-bust WR2 with big-play upside after showing flashes of star potential in his first two seasons.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Jayden Reed has already flashed game-changing ability in Green Bay, leading the Packers in receiving as a rookie before battling inconsistency in Year 2. Heading into 2025, he’s a high-upside fantasy WR2 whose big-play potential could pay off at his current ADP.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Reed projects better when given a straight-line window to create an edge. He gets off the snap quickly when having a winning feel to his route running. His game takes a hit vs. tight coverage at the line of scrimmage when needing to generate space with change-of-direction moves. Reed doesn’t have the top-end speed to beat the best cornerback over the long field.

Over four seasons with Michigan State, Reed caught 203 of his 333 targets with 2,919 yards and 27 touchdowns. His best year came in 2021 (59/1,026/10), but he had a regression in his output in 2022 (55/636/5).

Reed led the Packers in catches (64), receiving yards (793), and 10 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. He caught 68.0% of his 94 targets (5.9 per game) while getting some chances in the run game (11/119/2). From Week 14 to Week 18, Reed had his best production (24/318/4 on 34 chances – 30 targets and four rushes) while sitting out one game with toe and chest issues. He finished 25th in wide receiver fantasy scoring (217.40) in PPR formats, with over 20.00 fantasy points in two games (8/65/1 and 6/89/2).

Yards per route run (YPRR) vs. 1st downs per route run (1D/RR) from 2024

Both stats are predictive, but in combination, they can help identify consistency on a per-play basis.

> Jayden Reed was all big plays

> Drake London was both consistent and explosive pic.twitter.com/OtWPJ44wMK

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 16, 2025

Last season, Reed was a stud in Week 1 (4/169/2) despite only having seven chances (six targets and one rush). He performed well twice (7/141/1 and 5/113) over his eight subsequent games, with three other playable outcomes (4/69, 4/97, and 6/28/1). Unfortunately, his play and opportunity deteriorated after the Packers' bye week (23/336/3) over nine games (8.29 FPPG), making Reed a losing fantasy starter.

Jayden Reed 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook, Projections, Rankings

In essence, he scored 48.5% (96.20) of his 198.50 fantasy points (PPR) in four games. Reed finished 29th at wide receiver with a boom or bust profile. His weakness in his profile is highlighted by his ranking (54th) in targets (75), but he had added value running the ball (20/163/1). 

As the 45th wide receiver drafted this summer, Reed already has built in value in his ADP based on his success over the previous two seasons. His regression in 2024 was more of a team issue than a decline in his skill set. Reed did have eight drops, but made more significant plays (15.6 YPC). Possible 70 catches for 1,000 combined yards and eight to 10 touchdowns, which fits an WR2 profile in PPR formats.

Reed is currently the WR48 in our 2025 PPR Rankings.