After skyrocketing up draft boards as a rookie, we've officially reached the 'post-hype sleeper' stage of Green Bay Packers receiver Matthew Golden's fantasy football lifecycle. And for Packers fans hoping to snag him in their drafts this year, that's the perfect place for him to land.
Golden's average draft position, or ADP, was ranked as the WR40, or 85th overall pick in 2025, according to Fantasy Pros. By those same metrics, he's currently going late in drafts, or sometimes undrafted, as the WR58, or the 165th overall pick in some drafts. That's a drop in ADP that fails to recognize the talent Golden possesses, nor the massive opportunity ahead of him.
The 23rd overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, Golden flashed plenty of promise as a rookie with 29 catches for 361 yards in 14 games. Although the numbers didn't jump off the page, his speed, athletic gifts, and team-first mentality were major factors in helping him carve out a role in an offense that was stacked with talent at his position.
Now that the Packers have trimmed their wideout rotation down, Golden is sure to be featured more heavily in his second year. Not to mention, there are some obvious concerns over whether the dynamic yet nerve-wracking duo of Christian Watson and Jayden Reed can stay healthy over the course of a full season, and any injury to either of them would immediately put Golden in a featured role.
Reaching for Golden in your fantasy football draft wouldn't be a wise decision considering how deep the position is, but there is genuine league-winning upside for the Packers' standout young receiver as they reshape this offense around a fully formed version of quarterback Jordan Love.
At his current draft position, Matthew Golden could be the fantasy football sleeper everyone is looking for.
If you dive into the numbers of Golden's rookie season, you'd see that his snap share was far lower than most would've expected. He appeared in 43% of the team's offensive snaps, which was higher than all but one other Packers receiver, but doesn't account for the fact that Reed and Watson both missed substantial time with injuries. Golden was also weighed down by his own lingering injuries to his shoulder and wrist.
However, training camp and the Packers' recent Family Night game showed a different version of Golden — one that was far more confident in his ability to beat defenders and showcase the explosive impact he's capable of having for this team.
If he were going in the same range as last year, it'd be an easy choice to dismiss Golden. But if you can snag him in the later rounds as a dart throw or sleeper pick, he has a legitimate path to becoming the No. 1 receiver for a Green Bay offense that's coming out with vengeance after an injury-ridden 2025 campaign.
He has a chip on his shoulder. He was highly touted as a draft prospect. His situation is better. And his draft range has plummeted year-over-year. That makes Matthew Golden a no-brainer pickup late in 2026 fantasy football drafts, regardless of whether you bleed green and gold.
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