Packers HC Matt LaFleur suggested Wednesday that there won't be a clear #1 in the WR corps this season. "I don't think anybody's clear cut in front of the other guy," LaFleur said. "I think it's gonna be very much the ball's gonna get spread around and we're gonna try to feature different guys in different spots." Allen Lazard, Romeo Doubs, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb all figure to get significant snaps early in the season. Lazard is the best fantasy bet for now, but don't treat him as more than a WR4.
The Packers had a "Family Night" practice for fans at Lambeau Field that included simulated intrasquad scrimmaging. SB Nation's Acme Packing Co. blog counted up the 1st-team snaps and found rookie Romeo Doubs on for 13, compared with 18 for Allen Lazard and 16 for Sammy Watkins. That lines up with reports out of camp, with Doubs ahead of Randall Cobb (6) and others. It's certainly worth noting that fellow rookie WR Christian Watson is not yet practicing. Doubs has been moving up our WR rankings.
Insider Peter King came away from Packers camp believing WR Romeo Doubs will have a "prominent role early" in this offense. That's been the general sentiment from basically anyone who's watched Packers practices over the past couple of weeks. "He's been terrific in training camp," King said. "He has shined." Doubs has quickly become a priority late-round target in fantasy drafts.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers praised rookie WR Romeo Doubs at training camp. “Every single day, there’s been at least one ‘wow’ play. And that’s rare for a young guy like that,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had some guys over the years do that, but they are all in the top 10 of Packers receiving history. Good start for him.” Missed time from WRs Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins have given Doubs a chance to shine alongside Rodgers. If this continues over the next few weeks, it’s quite possible he sees some run in 3-WR sets.
Mike Spofford of the team website wrote Friday morning that Packers WR Romeo Doubs "followed up a solid opening workout with a stellar second one." He added that the 4th-round rookie "first caught the defense's attention during OTAs in June with the frequency of his catches and reliability of his hands." HC Matt LaFleur also praised Doubs' work ethic ahead of Friday's workouts. "He's established a routine pretty early," the coach said. He pointed out that rookies often struggle to do so and that finding such a routine can be their key to "taking off." The Doubs buzz is particularly noteworthy because of the seemingly open competition for roles and targets in the post-Davante Adams Green Bay offense. Doubs makes for an intriguing late stash across fantasy football draft formats.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic believes WR Allen Lazard will lead the Packers in receptions. Schneidman cites Lazard’s “sturdy hands” and a budding rapport with Aaron Rodgers. The losses of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling took away 224 targets, so there’s no doubting the opportunity in front of Lazard. New arrivals Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Sammy Watkins don't exactly supply tough target competition. Our current projections agree with Schneidman’s assessment.
Multiple reports have rookie WR Romeo Doubs impressing in OTA sessions. That's not surprising given the way GM Brian Gutekunst talked about the 4th-round selection in early May. “He’s got length, he’s really fast, he’s a big-time playmaker and he’s done it for multiple years at Nevada,” Gutekunst told the team website. “He’s probably one of the more polished players coming out of college just because of his experience. We’re excited to see what he can do.” That "polish" will tend to show in these early, padless workouts that are missing a number of veterans. Doubs will be worth tracking, though, as the renovated Green Bay WR corps leaves wide-open opportunity. It doesn't hurt Doubs' path that fellow Packers rookie Christian Watson has dropped some passes already. (But no, we're not overrating that issue for Watson right now.)
The Packers nabbed Nevada WR Romeo Doubs in Round 4. The 4-year college starter improved his production every season, culminating with an 80-1,109-11 line this past year. Doubs is a long, slender 6’2, 204-pounder with good speed. He averaged 14.8 yards per catch at Nevada and caught 12 balls 20+ yards downfield in 2021 – 25th most in the country. Doubs has reliable hands (4.8% drop rate last year) but has a tendency to play small, winning just 28 of 68 contested-catch opportunities over the past 4 seasons, per Pro Football Focus. Doubs joins fellow rookie WR Christian Watson in Green Bay, alongside Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers.
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