It can’t be overstated how valuable Christian Watson is to the Green Bay Packers’ offense. Players with his rare blend of length and speed are hard enough to find, and it’s even tougher to find a receiver who brings that kind of impact in the run game as a blocker.

Today’s Hottest Take: Green Bay’s offense needs to run through No. 9.

Watson is only three games removed from the torn ACL he suffered in the 2024 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears. Yet, he’s already reminding everyone why he’s Matt LaFleur’s best playmaker in the receiving corps. On Sunday against the New York Giants, he caught four of his five targets for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

Drops defined Green Bay’s receiving corps in 2024. Among the core of Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed and Watson, he was the one with the lowest drop rate. He also led the group in yards per route run and tied Reed for the best contested-catch rate.

Watson has played in four games this season and has seen at least four targets in each one. Entering Week 10, he led all receivers with at least 10 targets in yards per reception. Furthermore, Jordan Love has a passer rating over 125.0 when throwing his way. It’s time for Green Bay to run the offense through him.

What You Need to Know: The Packers often use Watson as a decoy to open underneath concepts, but his role needs to go well beyond that.

Watson’s speed is the most dangerous part of his game, and LaFleur, being the good offensive mind he is, consistently finds ways to use that speed to the Packers’ advantage — even when Watson isn’t getting the ball.

It’s a smart way to use Watson’s athleticism to stretch the defense vertically, but he’s a good receiver in his own right and needs to be involved more often. Last year, he finished fourth on the team in targets. He’s still working his way back from injury, and the more he settles into the speed of the game, the more his workload should grow. He’s simply too talented to be anything less than a featured part of the offense.

Before You Go: Don’t forget about Watson’s impact as a blocker.

It doesn’t matter if he gets one target or ten — Watson goes out there every week and puts on a blocking clinic. He’s the ultimate teammate, and you have to believe the locker room values that immensely. You don’t need to look any further than Josh Whyle’s first touchdown with the Packers. Watson sealed the defender who should’ve followed Whyle into the flat, leaving him completely uncovered for the score.

He’s also shown his efficiency as a blocker in the run game. The Packers had a 2nd-and-goal situation inside the Steelers’ five, and Watson delivered a masterful block that paved the way for Josh Jacobs to score. Without that block, Jacobs never reaches the end zone.

"You saw his presence felt not only in the passing game with those explosion plays, but also as a blocker downfield," LaFleur said after the game. "I mean, he had a heck of a block on Tucker's, his first touchdown. There was some good stuff in the run game, so he's just a really valuable piece for us."

The Packers are lucky to have Watson—not just for everything he brings on the field, but for the way he carries himself. He makes life easier for everyone around him, and he needs to be a true focal point of the offense. He’s far too talented to spend so much of his time acting as a decoy.