Team news: Green Bay Packers

RB A.J. Dillon added to report with a knee and is limited.

Related players: Aaron Jones, Patrick Taylor

It's at least a good sign he was limited, but it's worth monitoring heading into Week 4. The Packers host the Patriots in a later afternoon game on Sunday.

The Packers placed WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring) on injured reserve.

Watkins had already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers but now will miss at least the next four games. He can return October 23 against the Commanders. The Packers are dealing with a ton of injuries at the wide receiver position. The only “healthy” receiver at the moment is Allen Lazard. He is a bit banged up but is expected to play Sunday. Christian Watson and Randall Cobb both missed practice Thursday and Friday. Aaron Rodgers sits as our No. 12 quarterback this week.

The full quote from head coach Matt LaFleur on rookie Christian Watson went as follows; "“He’s a young player and I think he’s far from a finished product. That’s a credit to him because he’s still a guy who we’re going to try to find ways to get him the football. … I’m really pleased with where he is, but also know that he’s got a long way to go for him to maximize his potential.”

Though Watson's role in the offense is almost guaranteed to grow in a questionable wide receiver room, he has run fewer routes than teammates Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Romeo Doubs, and Aaron Jones through two weeks. The good news is Watson is being utilized both out of the slot and out wide, but is still losing utilization behind veterans Cobb and Watkins in each alignment. The rookie is irrelevant to fantasy until further notice.

Those formations (two true running backs and no fullback) are commonly referred to as “Pony” personnel — a nod to the 1980s SMU Mustangs’ “Pony Express” RB pairing of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. And the Packers’ version with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon has been incredibly effective in 2022. Jones has earned a first down on half of his 20 carries so far; Dillon is third in the NFL at a first-downs-per-rush rate of 32.1 percent.

With the loss of WR Davante Adams, the Packers just want to get their best players on the field at the same time, and that means more of Jones and Dillon together. While Jones is a must-play for fantasy owners every week, Dillon is making a case to be one as well. Getting on the field more will only help make that case. Dillon wasn't a huge fantasy factor in Week 2, but he was in Week 1 when the Packers played from behind. We reported yesterday that QB Aaron Rodgers said on a podcast the team wants to get Jones and Dillon at least 15 touches each per game.

"The goal is to always get Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon the ball ... the flows of different games don't allow it sometimes," Aaron Rodgers.

Jones stood out last week, but in Week 1 it was Dillon who out-carried Jones and also had more receptions. While both players are worthy starting in fantasy lineups their workload may not be guaranteed every week. But it sounds like Rodgers and the Packers want to include the running backs as a major part of the game plan.

Packers HC Matt LaFleur told reporters that WR Allen Lazard (ankle) will return to practice today.

Lazard missed all of practice last week and did not play Sunday, as the tweet reminded us. The Packers play this week on Sunday Night vs. the Bears so Lazard owners may need to have a plan in place if his status takes us right up to game time.