Fantasy Football Video: Packers WR Matthew Golden was a big miss in 2025 but is there reason for optimism moving forward?

After the Green Bay Packers spent a first-round pick on WR Matthew Golden in the 2025 NFL Draft, many believed that was a signal to target the speedster in fantasy football drafts immediately. That belief backfired in a big way as Golden struggled to carve out a role while injuries and a crowded receiver room held him back.

Matt Harmon and Justin Boone discussed the Packers rookie WR’s disappointing first year in the NFL and whether or not there’s hope for the future on the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.

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There were plenty of question marks surrounding the Packers’ WR room going into 2025, as Harmon points out, and he admits it was a huge whiff on his part before the season. Boone mentions the crowded group of receivers, and while Romeo Doubs could bolt in free agency, there’s still the presence of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and TE Tucker Kraft.

Boone doesn’t really see a path to Golden being a quality fantasy asset next season. While Harmon was high on Golden going into the fantasy season, he viewed him as a third-tier prospect coming out of college.

Golden finished his rookie season with just 29 receptions on 44 targets for 361 yards and no scores. He also had 10 carries for 49 yards and four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in the Wild Card loss to the Bears.

Boone has Golden ranked as the WR69 in his early wide receiver rankings for fantasy football in 2026. In Boone’s dynasty rankings and trade value charts, Golden comes in as the WR45.