☕️Bi-Weekly Brew: Green Bay Packers Edition

By The Dynasty Cafe · July 8, 2026 · Play For Keeps Articles

Today, we stay in the NFC North and take a trip to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and take a look at the Green Bay Packers.  They always produce solid offensive numbers, but they don’t run through one guy, which makes it a little tricky for us fantasy managers to figure out who it is to target. It's messy, but ambiguity can lead to values in the trade market!  Let's dive into the weeds and figure out who the heck YOU should be going after from the Packers.

☕️Bi-Weekly Brew Themes☕️

For those that are new: welcome in!  Here’s what you’ll find in each edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew:

In each brew, we will assume super flex is in play, with full point PPR and .5 TEP. 

For each team, we’ll be identifying:

☕️Our House Blend: the perfect player for any build

☕️The Espresso Shot: a player to provide that high upside boost to your rebuilding team

☕️The Dark Roast: ole reliable, a player that can push a contender to its peak

☕️House Blend: Tucker Kraft☕️

Tucker finally broke out last year, scoring about 10+ games in every game he finished, except for one, before tearing his ACL.  In the 8 games he played, Tucker averaged 15 ppg.  That put him at TE4 overall!  This average was skewed a bit by a 7 catch, 143 yard with 2 TD performance in week 8.  That stat line just proves what kind of weekly upside Tucker has. 

The ACL injury provides a discount for rebuilders and contenders alike.  For rebuilders, he’s a discounted asset that will regain his full value once he shows he's fully healthy.  For contenders, he's a player who could put up TE1 numbers any given week.  He may start slow coming off the injury, but he should start to find his stride as the season progresses, peaking as the playoffs approach.  With the departure of Romeo Doubs and no replacement brought in, it's hard to project a scenario where Tucker doesn't return to being the top guy in the Packer's passing game, and the safety valve for QB Jordan Love.  The positional advantage he can provide for your team both short and long term should not be ignored.  Similar to my advice about Sam Laporta in the last Brew: buy now before his value is restored!

Photo Credit: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire

Let's visit our favorite tool Sharp Tracker and get some blueprints for acquiring Tucker:

While I am intrigued to see where Mayer ends up next year after his rookie deal expires, the potential of a fun landing spot isn't enough to deter me from moving him to acquire Kraft.  As we talked about before, Kraft has the potential to be a Top 5 TE for fantasy purposes.  I'll trade two mystery boxes that likely won't produce at the level of Kraft to help my team win this season.  A mid to late 2026 first or a mid to late 2028 first are all ok to move for Kraft as a rebuilder or contender.  I would even consider a late 27 1st if I was a contender to go pick up Kraft.

This is a move a contender or rebuilder can make.  Given the lack of depth in the 2026 class, Kraft will likely outperform whoever is taken at the 1.11, both this season and in future seasons.  Rebuilders are sometimes hesitant to move first round picks, as they think the way to build is through the draft.  However, not all firsts are built the same.  Sometimes trading a late first for a player with Top 5 upside who is still early in their career is better than just drafting a rookie.  Get that tight end anchor for your rebuilding team at the cost of the 1.11 this season.

☕️Espresso Shot: Matthew Golden☕️

Photo Credit: Imagn Images

There’s no doubt Golden disappointed in his rookie year.  However, with the departure of Romeo Doubs and Dontavion Wicks, snaps and targets have become available within the receiving room.  Golden will be entering his age 23 season.  He’s cheap and the perfect age for a rebuilder to either flip if he increases in value, or hold as part of the receiving core for years to come.  If all goes well, owners may find themselves with the next Jameson Williams!  Let's dig into the numbers a bit to show WHY there is room for Golden to grow, and why his slow start isn't unlike what we saw from the aforementioned Jamo.

One of the things that leads to fantasy points is average depth of target (ADOT).  Obviously, the further down the field your players catch the ball, the more points being scored, and the more potential for big plays.  Another is targets.  The more chances your players get to catch the ball, the higher the chance for points, and the more consistent they'll be.  Let's take a look at some household names that are around Golden in the ADOT category, and how that translates to PPG:

As the graph shows, Golden's ADOT is similar to some highly sought after players.  However, the PPG from 2025 is lacking.  Why is that?  That's where the targets come into play:

Golden received significantly less targets than guys like Jameson Williams and Emeka Eguka last season.  With last years top target earner Romeo Doubs leaving in free agency, 85 targets have become available in the packers offense, or about 5 targets a game.  If Golden can gobble up some of those targets, we should see him produce numbers that are usable in our lineups.  

I've compared Golden to Jameson quite a lot, so let's do a quick dive into the career arcs.  In 2023, Jameson averaged about 3.5 targets a game (very close to what Golden averaged in his rookie year).  2023 was technically Jamo's second season in the league, but he missed most of his rookie year.  For all intents and purposes, 2023 was Jamo's first true season in the league. His targets per game jumped to 6 in 2024, leading to a WR22 finish.  A slight uptick in targets will do wonders for Golden's production, especially if he maintains his ADOT.

This was a lengthy deep dive into a guy who averaged 5 ppg last season.  If you take anything from this breakdown, let it be this: patience is key, and patience is what is needed from rebuilders.  Acquire Golden for your rebuilds now before the possible target bump increases his value. There are many instances in the Sharp Tracker of Golden being traded for a mix of 2nds and 3rds.  This is the price I'd also be looking to pay to add Golden to my rebuilding roster.  

☕️The Dark Roast: Christian Watson☕️

While Watson has a daunting injury history, there’s no denying the fact he could very impactful in this offense.  Last season, Watson averaged more points per game than guys like Tet McMillan, Ladd McConkey, and Justin Jefferson.  The production is there; we just need Watson to stay on the field.  Going back to the ADOT discussion from earlier, Watson has one of the deepest ADOTs in the league.  According to ftnfantasy.com, of WRs with a minimum of 40 targets, Watson has the 2nd highest ADOT in the league at 17.76 yards, only behind Alec Pierce.  To prove I'm not trying to skew stats, when taking WRs with a minimum of 10 targets, he still has the 7th highest ADOT in football.  These deeper targets are certainly riskier, but when they connect, it can lead to some explosives for your fantasy team.  I’m starting to come around on Watson, and can definitely see a path where he’s a league winner.  Make sure he’s winning the league for you and not your competition! 

Photo Credit: Carlos Osorio/AP Photo

Let's take a look at the trade recipe for acquiring Watson:

There's not too much to break down here.  The philosophy here is turn the unknown into the known, which is a theme you'll see repeated throughout the series when talking about contending trades.  Omar Cooper was one of my Top 10 receivers in the class, but he is almost guaranteed to be the WR2 in the Jets offense with a significantly worse QB throwing him the ball.  The Packers WR room is wide open and has a better QB.  I'll take the ceiling play in Watson for my contender, and cross my fingers that some injury luck goes my way.  Even if Watson does get a little banged up, when he is in lineups, he always has a chance to produce Top 10 weekly numbers, doing it three times last year. It's important to remember: Watson ideally won't be your WR1 or WR2 in your lineups.  He fits in best as a WR3 or flex play given his high ceiling, low floor production.  I'll take Watson over Cooper (and other first round rookie WRs) if I am looking to win this season.

☕️Note to Readers☕️

Be sure to explore the Sharp Tracker for more trade ideas like those above.  That is a great tool for gauging what some of the best players are doing to buy or sell players.  I hope you enjoyed the content you consumed here today, and I look forward to seeing you for the next edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew! 

Remember to follow @TheDynastyCafe on X for additional content and updates!

Good luck and happy trading!

Cover Photo Credit: Jeffrey Phelps/AP Photo

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