Sammy Watkins out for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay
Allen Lazard should be available while Randall Cobb and Christian Watson are both Questionable.
By PackerAaron
After practicing on a limited basis Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, Packers wide receiver Sammy Watkins did not participate in either Thursday or Friday's practices. He's now been labeled as Out on Friday's final injury report prior to Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Randall Cobb (illness) sat out again as well, while Allen Lazard (ankle) and Christian Watson (hamstring) returned to the practice field on Friday. While Watson and Cobb are considered Questionable, Lazard has no injury designation and should play on Sunday.
Of course, what is an injury update without a mention of All Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who practiced for the second day in a row on Friday on a limited basis and is considered Questionable. I for one will be very surprised if he plays, but Lord knows I've been surprised before.
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Comments (35)
PatrickGB
September 23, 2022 at 03:51 pm
I thought he was ascending. Tough loss. It’s been one of the knocks against him that he misses too many games. Here is hoping for a quick and complete recovery.
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 04:18 pm
He’s a serial hamstring risk.
chaka
September 23, 2022 at 04:02 pm
They should have kept Jake Kumerow around. One of Guetys very stupid cuts. He cut the #2 receiver all through camp Rodgers said.
tommynak
September 23, 2022 at 07:59 pm
Enough with the Jake Kumerow should have been kept on roster. He's been a non factor at every stop he has made in the NFL.
chaka
September 24, 2022 at 09:20 am
He caught a 40 yard pass the other night. 40 yard passes = non factor? No Packers have a 40 yard pass this year…
gpt999
September 24, 2022 at 03:06 pm
I agree. Jake K could fill a role here this year. And I am sure Buffalo wouldn't ask for a lot. Seventh round pick maybe?
But it would be nice to find a WR that could also replace Amari in the kick return game?
cheesehead1
September 23, 2022 at 04:28 pm
Unfortunately, same old thing with injuries for Watkins and possibly Cobb. Hope it’s not long term but his track record suggests otherwise.
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 05:06 pm
Cobb is Ill. That’s a tad different. With Watkins, it was his hamstring that derailed his season in Baltimore and caused him to miss time in camp with us. Unfortunately he is the Clay Mathews of receivers.
My guess is that they call up Fulgham to replace Watkins if Watson can’t go, as the X, keep Doubs where he has been and activate Toure, who can play the slot or perimeter. It seems Lazard is going to play. That would give us cover for both Watson and Cobb if needed as well as Watkins and still a couple with speed that could go deep.
LLCHESTY
September 23, 2022 at 05:51 pm
I would think Watson would get most of the X snaps but I did see on one of Watkins receptions that Doubs was lined up in the X so he is getting a few snaps there. I think it was a two WR look so maybe it's just certain formations he's out there.
Watson at X with Lazard and Doubs switching around Slot and Z and Cobb in for Doubs or Watson on 3rd downs is what I expect. If Watson can't go then things get interesting.
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 06:37 pm
I’m not banking on Watson, who is a classic X prospect just because I don’t know if he has the full route tree down. He’s also apparently going to be a game time decision, as is Cobb. Coming off sickness, how many snaps will Cobb take anyway? Therefore I think that they will elevate Fulgham regardless.
The more we move Doubs, the less chance he’s as comfortable with his route tree as well. Id try to keep him in as familiar patterns as possible, because they will need him. I suppose they could use Amari, but id think Toure gives them more options.
epzenk
September 23, 2022 at 04:30 pm
It looks like it's trending our way Nags. Go Pack Go.
Leatherhead
September 23, 2022 at 04:35 pm
So that that leaves us with the veterans, Lazard and Cobb, and the rooks, Watson and Doubs. If we were going to see anything from Amari Rodgers as a receiver, this might be a game for it. Otherwise, we might see somebody activated for the game like Toure or Winfree.
I'm a little surprised they held Watkins out with a tight hammy. Watkins has been getting about 4/5 targets per game, so that'll be 4 or 5 targets we can spread around to the others. Maybe Tonyan.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 23, 2022 at 04:41 pm
I suppose given his history, they might be trying to nip it in the bud. Weather report for Tampa Bay is high of 90 on Sunday. I suppose it would be warm but keeping hydrated is an issue.
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 05:12 pm
That hammy killed his year last year. It’s not something to mess with. LaFleur seems to think they won’t know in Cobb till game day. He’s got to be 50:50 at best, Watson too.
Leatherhead
September 23, 2022 at 06:33 pm
This certainly appears to be good news for the youngsters. Make a couple of serious plays that help us beat Tampa and we'll be going "Sammy who?"
I just don't think we'll be throwing to the WRs that much this weekend. We'll still be RB-centric, and we might see the TEs get a few more targets. Watkins was only getting targeted like 5 times a game , so it's not like we can't redistribute those targets.
A lot of people really believe in Romeo Doubs, and it sure looks like he's going to get a chance in only the 3rd game of his career. He reminds me of Lazard in the sense that he climbed over so many people to get on the field. Lazard started behind guys like Kumerow, Shepherds, Davis, MVS, EQ, etc. but by midseason he was a starter.
Doubs keeps climbing over people. He hasn't been hurt, unlike Watkins, Watson, and Lazard. He should be on the field a lot Sunday......I hope he's ready for a closeup.
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 06:54 pm
Lewis’s groin hasn’t been talked about. This isn’t a game where I would want to be without him at full strength.
Tundraboy
September 23, 2022 at 09:22 pm
I agree, it's precautionary.
Fubared
September 23, 2022 at 10:53 pm
Rodgers is a bust and should have been cut last year but they wont get rid of him or Gutt looks bad. Its all about making Gutt look good. I'm wondering about Watson even though I think he has promiss but a frail body.
porupack
September 24, 2022 at 07:03 am
YEah, right. Gute looks good by keeping all of his picks even if they are busts. Fans will never know how he hides his mistakes if it wasn't for sluthes like you. Thanks for revealing this hoax.
gpt999
September 24, 2022 at 03:03 pm
Boy, given Watkins injury history and the success he needs this year to continue his NFL career, I sure hope that a "tight" hammy isn't what is keeping him from playing an important game? If its truly injured, I get it but tight seems to be something he might play through? So now GB loses him for 4 games? Not good.
I was really hoping GB would have gotten Beasley. They have about $10 Mil in cap space. If they were able to release Amari, add another $1.5. My god, for $5Mil, they could have gotten Pierre Paul tp help with OLB. It frustrating as a fan to see valuable additions to this team go elsewhere on a consistent basis...
PackyCheese500
September 23, 2022 at 05:22 pm
Here are my bold predictions for the game:
1. The Packers at least double their sack numbers, with Preston Smith getting 2 more.
Going up against the Bucs' 3rd string LT should benefit Smith, as well as other favorable matchups for the Packers against the Bucs' injury-ravaged o-line. This is where I think the biggest mis-match in the Packers' favor (and in general) is in this game.
2. The Packers hold Leonard Fournette to under 100 yards of rushing.
Despite what the stat line said, the Packers' run defense, I thought, held up well in week one with the exception of two ridiculous drives where the Bears averages 15+ yards per carry. Fournette is also not at full health, listed as questionable, and behind the Bucs' o-line,the Packers should be able to stop them.
3. Both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady throw an interception and both have sub-100 passer ratings.
Wide Receiver uncertainty on both sides isn't good for either passer, and both teams have good secondaries. Offensive line un-certainty with both teams doesn't help, either.
Final Score Prediction: Packers 7, Bucs 3. I am predicting a defense-dominated battle, and I think the deciding factor will be whether the Packers' d-line can take advantage of their favorable matchups with the Bucs' o-line. I think the Buccaneers are too injured there, and with WR uncertainty and immobile Tom Brady, I think the Packers are able to win this game in the trenches and on defense. Smith, Gary, and Clark all looked good last week and are all top-7 in pass-rush pressure rate. I think all have a monster game this week.
PackyCheese500
September 23, 2022 at 05:37 pm
What would you all think of re-uniting with Blake Martinez and converting him to OLB? He wasn't great in coverage, and had 11 sacks from 2018-2020, his last fully healthy seasons. We need OLB depth
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 06:40 pm
He’s not very rapid.
gpt999
September 24, 2022 at 03:09 pm
Why not? He would not constitute a big cap hit and he could be used sparingly on the inside should more injuries occur. The guy is tough and can tackle!
beerandbrats
September 23, 2022 at 06:40 pm
Winners find a way to compete. Hamstring injuries early in the season show a lack of proper off-season training and conditioning. I was expecting much more from this veteran receiver.
Leatherhead
September 23, 2022 at 06:51 pm
me too. I thought he'd get 75 receptions. Right now, I think he has 7 and he'll miss this game.
Well, we drafted 3 WRs and it looks like they're going to have to contribute sooner than hoped. I would still point out that half the offense goes to the RB, where the WR is a blocker, and on 90% of our pass plays, the ball will go to somebody else.
Did Watkins tweak his hammy on that long run.?
Coldworld
September 23, 2022 at 06:56 pm
Looks like it. I think that explains why he got caught so quickly, which seemed odd after what went before it to make the catch.
Fubared
September 23, 2022 at 10:51 pm
Ya and those walk arounds the pack likes to do dont seem to be getting our guys in shape. Plus we draft players with historys of college imjuries but they come cheap.
Starrbrite
September 23, 2022 at 07:02 pm
Figures does it not?—two games in and he’s in the whirlpool rehabbing—-Geesh!!
Ritzy
September 23, 2022 at 08:36 pm
We knew Watkins had a long injury history before signing with the Pack, so this latest hamstring problem isn't surprising. So, it's probably up to the run game to carry the offense. I still think the Packers are better than the Bucs, though. I also expect a big game from the defense, which needs to produce some turnovers.
Fubared
September 23, 2022 at 10:47 pm
Wow shocked, Wakins is hurt. You can put Amari in to fill his shoes, god knows how much your paying him at a 3 pick to do basically nothing but get water for the the team. Ya he does try and run the ball he sucks at that too. Also Watson is hurt again. Missed most of training camp, pre season, played limited in two games and has done nothing to date as a 2 pick. When I see a skill player taken in the second or third I question, whats wrong with this guy that he wasnt taken like Jefferson in the first round?
gpt999
September 24, 2022 at 03:15 pm
I still feel the issue is that MLF refuses to get starters meaningful reps in pre-season! Yes, they "might" get injured. But the problem is that these starters do not get ANY reps in pre-season playing full speed. So, when they finally start the regular season, they are going from 0 - 120 mph instantly! How many times must MLF keep making the same mistakes...?
marpag1
September 24, 2022 at 04:38 am
Sammy's gonna Sammy...
egbertsouse
September 24, 2022 at 07:47 am
Watkins out? I’m shocked, shocked! This is why he was available and pretty cheap.
vin0770
September 24, 2022 at 07:33 pm
We’ll, that didn’t take long 🤪