It has not been the easiest or most efficient stretch for Green Bay Packers second-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks. But with Christian Watson potentially out for a couple of weeks with a high-ankle sprain, it's Wicks' time to turn things around, because he will be a huge part of the passing offense once again.

Last year, after a slow start, Wicks got progressively better throughout the season. And guess what created the perfect storm for the better performance: Christian Watson's absence because of an injury.

It's a different circumstance now for Watson, just an unfortunate event. But in 2023, Wicks took advantage of the extra snaps and extra usage to play at a high level.

Without Watson on the field in 2023, Wicks had a snap share increase of 20%, according to Football Guys' analyst Adam Hutchinson. After Watson got hurt against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wicks had a 16% target share. These are mostly fantasy stats, but they are extremely useful for us to understand how Wicks became relevant within the offense while Watson was out.

And that happens because, even though Wicks has had some issues dropping the football and making mental mistakes, his ability to get open is notable. And when he is on the field, he will be a natural option for Jordan Love throughout his progressions and reads.

"When my name is called and I step in, I have that confidence to make plays," Wicks said during his positive stretch last season. "We do it in practice, so having that confidence in your preparation in practice and trusting that only helps me out on game day."

Interestingly enough, volume is not the problem. Wicks leads the Packers in targets (22), tied with Jayden Reed, but he only has eight receptions. Still, he is fourth in receiving yards, ahead of Watson, and leads the team in receiving touchdowns (3).

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What can get better

Drops are the main area where Wicks has to improve over the next few weeks. Through the first four games, he had three, against two in the entire 2023 season. That's a drop rate of 27.3%, against 4.9% as a rookie.

That made his passer rating when targeted go down from 117.6 in 2023 to 72.7 so far this year. His yards per route run have been down to 1.25 from 2.04.

More than that, and especially with Jordan Love still less than 100% because of his knee injury, the Packers will need Wicks' production after the catch. His average of yards after the catch per reception was 5.6 last year, and it has been 3.9 in 2024.

The positive is that with Christian Watson out of the lineup, Dontayvion Wicks can play more as an outside receiver. As a rookie, he had 62.9% of his snaps as a boundary weapon, and it is down to 55.6% this year, while his snap share in the slot has gone up to 44.4% from 36.5%. It also means that Wicks will have more opportunities to be on the field alongside Jayden Reed, who has been the most productive and efficient receiver for the Packers — and who has gotten more attention from opposing defenses.

It's a combination of factors for Dontayvion Wicks producing less than he had as a rookie. But now, he has another big opportunity in front of him, and the Packers offense needs him to step up and grab it.

How Jordan Love played against the Vikings, and what the Packers can expect from him throughout the rest of the season

Quarterback threw four touchdowns and three interceptions against the Vikings