Wide Receiver · Green Bay Packers · Age 22 · Texas · WR43 Half-PPR (Season 2026)
Matthew Golden is ranked WR43 (overall #97) for the Season of the 2026 NFL season in Half-PPR fantasy football by Hayden of The Underdog Football Show. Hayden has Matthew Golden ranked 13 spots higher than their Underdog ADP of 110.1, flagging this as a value pick.
Golden is a fantasy sleeper with better tape than the spreadsheets would indicate
Golden only played about 50% of the Packers snaps as a rookie despite going 23rd overall in the NFL Draft. The Packers had 5 WRs in a rotation, plus play a balanced style, so targets were difficult to come by. In fact, Golden only cleared 5 targets once. Per route, Golden was just fine. He had a 1.44 yards per route and 15.5% targets per route. He played in some 2-WR sets, but most of his looks game in 3-WR sets with quality players around him. The quality is still there with Christian Watson and slot Jayden Reed both paid, but his path to near full-time snaps is way more obvious now that Romeo Doubs (free agent) and Dontayvion Wicks (trade) are out the way. So, is he good? On tape, Golden is better than given credit for if only looking at spreadsheets. He moved around the formation and was given some screens and some motion reps to get his top speed going early in the route. His speed is pretty obvious on these go and post routes, and that's where his bread will be buttered until proven otherwise. Jordan Love targets these routes often, and the duo just missed hundreds of more yards on these last year simply due to small sample noise. I expect more downfield shots to be completed in 2026. Golden was able to come down with a few spicy contested catch grabs for someone of his size 5'11"/191. This was true in college, too. He also added more explosives in the scramble drill, which is important when playing with Love. Golden had a fun screen TD and collected a few ankles on intermediate routes, but for the most part, Golden wasn't used underneath. He didn't have many zone sit receptions and was more often used to clear things out. He was able to tap the breaks on out routes, so there's more potential for growth here long term. It's fair to say he's unproven, not that he's good or bad at it. There's a couple of context nuggets I've seen, too. Coaches and teammates said Golden's understanding and comfortability of the playbook is improved in 2026, meaning something was off in 2025. He also was playing through wrist and shoulder injuries, which limited his practice time in season. He said he added weight this offseason to hold up better. Golden will be competing with Reed for snaps in 2-WR sets. I fully expect Golden to be the Z in 3-WR sets, and I'd make him the favorite for 2-WR sets over Reed just because the Packers' forever history of not playing small players on the boundary. Reed has a more fantasy-friendly profile given his underneath work, but it's a toss up on who will score more fantasy points in 2026. Golden has a higher ceiling and lower floor, and he may end up being "better in best ball" as a fantasy WR4. I do think he has the skills to be a WR2/3 if Watson were to miss time. For now, Watson is clearly the WR1, and I'll take my chances on the unknown with Golden near 100th overall. Golden has the signature profile of a fantasy football sleeper.
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Hayden is a fantasy football analyst for The Underdog Football Show, covering 2026 fantasy football with PPR and Half-PPR rankings, ADP comparisons, and weekly start/sit analysis. Rankings are updated regularly throughout the season. Hayden's "Best Bet" designations highlight players ranked higher than their ADP consensus, while "Fade" designations flag players the ranker believes are overvalued by the market.
By Hayden · The Underdog Football Show · Updated 2026-07-06