Is Christian Watson playing in Week 3? Packers WR status explored

The Green Bay Packers are sweating again on the fitness of Christian Watson. The wide receiver has been absent for both their opening games this season, one of which they won and one of which they lost. Him coming back will add more solidity to the whole offense.

He remains a critical piece given they have an entirely new offense in a way from the last two seasons. Davante Adams left first and Christian Watson and others came in to pick up the slack. But this season, Aaron Rodgers went away, so he needs to get familiar with new starting quarterback Jordan Love.

The more he misses game time, the tougher it is to build the rapport. But of more immediate concern is their game against the New Orleans Saints. We look at where the wide receiver stands with his injury.

Will Christian Watson play against the Saints in Week 3?

Christian Watson has missed the 2023 NFL season with a hamstring injury so far. He was limited in practice this week and is officially out for the Week 3 game against the Saints. The fact that he has returned to practice, though, was an encouraging sign but unfortunately, he will not make his season debut in Week 3.

He took to the field on Wednesday and Friday and sat out Thursday as part of a plan. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said:

"He ran two days in a row and gave him a day of rest, and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."

In his absence, Romeo Doubs and Aaron Jones picked up the slack against the Chicago Bears. But the running back is questionable for this game and was also limited in practice. He missed the last game too, which they lost by a single point, 24-25, to the Altanta Falcons.

Since Christian Watson and Aaron Jones are again unavailable, Jordan Love will have to target Romeo Doubs and Luke Musgrave. Along with the rookie tight end, other newbies like Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks might have to come to the Packers' aid.

It is not an ideal situation and as a result, Green Bay will not risk Christian Watson's long-term health over one game. That was kind of the point head coach Matt LaFleur made earlier this week in his comments too. Given that the Packers are sitting atop the NFC North, despite their last week's loss, means they can wait and see if things are not a hundred percent with any player.

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Christian Watson's injury history complicates matters

The issue with Christian Watson is that his hamstring injury seems to be a recurrent phenomenon. He missed a game with it in September 2022 and then missed two more the following month. Now, he has been absent for two games to begin this season. That is five games in two seasons with hamstring injuries. He also has an extensive injury history dating back to college.

That might explain why the Packers are taking it slow to announce if he will be playing or not, despite the player returning to practice in a limited manner. They realize that he is the future of the franchise and they need to protect his body. After a stretch of dominance in their division and the league, this year is supposed to be a year of calibration with a different starting quarterback and new offensive weapons.

Hence, their propensity to take a risk with Christian Watson so early in the season might be low.

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