Maybe you've heard by now: Matthew Golden, the first WR the Packers have selected in the first round of the draft since 2002, is off to a slow start.

Don't hit the panic button just yet fantasy owners and Pack fans.

This is not unprecedented. In fact, several prominent WR's coming into the league have started off with a few quiet games before really coming on and putting up some of the greatest rookie WR seasons the league has ever seen.

Matthew Golden in his first 2 games in the NFL has had 2 catches for 16 yards, on a total of 4 targets (2 in each game). He played in 48% of the snaps in Week 1, followed by 59% of the snaps in Week 2 (per FTNfantasy.com). How does this compare to other great WR's in their first few games in the league?

Justin Jefferson, the great Vikings WR, was drafted 22nd overall in 2020. After his first 2 games in the league he had 5 catches for 70 yards, on 6 targets (3 in each of the first 2 games). What did he do after that? Only went on to have one of the best WR rookie seasons we've ever seen, reeling in 88 catches on 125 targets for 1,400 yards.

Odell Beckham Jr., drafted 12th overall in 2014. After his first 2 games in the league he had 10 catches for 105 yards on 15 total targets. And the rest of the way? Only finished his rookie season with 91 catches on 132 targets for 1,305 yards. No big deal.

These aren't just great rookie seasons, they're great WR seasons period.

Where does Golden go from here?

First of all, with top WR Jayden Reed going on IR with a broken collarbone, and possibly Tucker Kraft missing a game or two with his knee injury, Golden will see more targets. Not if, not maybe, will see more targets. 4 targets in 2 games is ... not many. At all. Expect his targets to go up, and with it his production should follow.

Secondly, his snap count should increase also as he builds experience and becomes more familiar within the offense. This, again, should lead to more opportunities in the passing game and his production should increase. Much like the aforementioned examples, there is plenty of time left this season for Golden to be a major contributor to the Pack offense and have a good, if not great, rookie season.

Thanks for reading :)