Matthew Golden

22-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Golden was one of the stars of the pre-draft process, eventually landing in Green Bay with the 23rd overall pick after running a 4.29 40 at 5-foot-11, 191. That makes him small by general NFL wideout standards but notably heavier than recent undersized burners like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. It was Worthy who Golden replaced at Texas, transferring for 2024 after catching 76 passes for 988 yards and 13 TDs in two seasons at Houston. The one year in Austin yielded a 58-987-9 receiving line in 16 games, highlighted by a 162-yard performance against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and a 149-yard showing against ASU in the CFP Quarterfinals. It shouldn't take long for Golden to get on the field in Green Bay, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be a frequent target or mainly used to stretch defenses with clear-out routes. The team's other deep threat, Christian Watson, likely will miss a chunk of the season after suffering an ACL tear in January, leaving Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks as the main obstacles to immediate playing time for Golden. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Signed a four-year, $17.58 million contract with the Packers in May of 2025.
Catchless in Week 2 win
WRGreen Bay Packers
September 12, 2025
Golden didn't catch either of his two targets but rushed twice for 15 yards in Thursday's 27-18 win over the Commanders. He also had one punt return for minus-2 yards.
ANALYSIS
The rookie first-round pick just missed bringing in a touchdown on one of his two targets, but the play was broken up by an outstanding effort from cornerback Trey Amos. Golden hasn't managed to carve out a substantial role yet in a deep Packers receiving corps, though he could get more opportunities as soon as Week 3 against the Browns in the absence of Jayden Reed, who broke his collarbone in Thursday's win. Golden's 59 percent snap share Thursday was second behind Romeo Doubs' 74 percent among Green Bay's wide receivers and represented a slight uptick from his 48 percent mark from Week 1.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Matthew Golden's 2025 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
43.5
 
Air Yards Per Snap
1.47
 
% Team Air Yards
13.9%
 
% Team Targets
8.2%
 
Avg Depth of Target
21.8 Yds
 
Catch Rate
50.0%
 
Drop Rate
0.0%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
3.5
 
% Targeted On Route
10.3%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
0.41
 
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2025 NFL Game Log
2025
2025 NFL Game Log
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Scoring
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PPR
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Green Bay PackersPackers 2025 WR Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

7871%
5954%
5752%
3330%
2220%
1312%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Matthew Golden lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Browns pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
CLE
@ Browns
Sunday, Sep 21st at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
114.2
 
Cornerbacks
122.7
 
Safeties
47.4
 
Linebackers
116.7
 
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2025 Matthew Golden Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Matthew Golden's measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
5' 11"
 
Weight
191 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.29 sec
 
Hand Length
9.50 in
 
Arm Length
30.62 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Matthew Golden See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Matthew Golden See More
More Fantasy News
Set to play Thursday
WRGreen Bay Packers
September 10, 2025
Golden (ankle) doesn't have a designation for Thursday's contest versus the Commanders, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Upgrades to full activity
WRGreen Bay Packers
September 9, 2025
The Packers listed Golden (ankle) as a full participant for Tuesday's walk-through practice.
ANALYSIS
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Limited by ankle issue
WRGreen Bay Packers
Ankle
September 8, 2025
Golden was listed as limited on Monday's practice estimate due to an ankle injury, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Just two catches in debut
WRGreen Bay Packers
September 7, 2025
Golden caught both of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 27-13 win over the Lions.
ANALYSIS
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Makes long catch
WRGreen Bay Packers
August 23, 2025
Golden made one catch on two targets for 39 yards in Saturday's 20-7 preseason win over the Seahawks.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could step up with other WRs hurt
WRGreen Bay Packers
September 12, 2025
Golden has an opportunity to take on a larger role in the coming weeks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Jayden Reed will be out until at least November due to a broken collarbone.
ANALYSIS
Reed was injured early in Green Bay's Week 2 win over the Commanders. Golden has earned just two targets in each of his first two NFL games, but the rookie first-round pick may start to see more attention from quarterback Jordan Love in the absence of Reed and Christian Watson, the latter of whom is on the reserve/PUP list and won't play prior to Week 6 due to a knee injury.
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