Friday, March 29

Packers’ Lazard living up to billing as WR1


A look at who is trending up and down the past week in Wisconsin sports, including Packers wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, coach Matt LaFleur and Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz.

Allen Lazard, Packers wide receiver (UP ⬆)

Lazard has lived up to his offseason billing as Green Bay’s new WR1. In the five games he’s played, he’s either eclipsed 100 yards receiving or caught a touchdown pass – he’s done the latter in four games and the former once, in Week 4 against the Patriots. The “Lizard King” might not make football look as pretty as Davante Adams did fooling cornerbacks off the line, or as effortless as Jordy Nelson did streaking down the field or turning a comeback route into a long run after the catch for six. That’s OK. Lazard is a different breed of No. 1 wide receiver. He does the dirty work, always willing to hold blocks for his guys on the perimeter, and has developed a nice rapport with Rodgers near the goal line – three of his four touchdowns this season have come inside the 10-yard line. Usually, a team’s top receiver excels in one or more of these areas: Creating after the catch, beating man coverage and highpointing the football. It’s tough to say whether Lazard is great at any of the three – he’s certainly not special in the open field – but he’s been reliable outside the numbers and invaluable to a young cast of receivers. That’s why he’s WR1.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback (DOWN ⬇)

One if not the best sign of Rodgers trending south is his status in fantasy football – believe it or not, we woke up Wednesday morning with the four-time MVP suddenly on our team … claimed via waivers. That’s insane, isn’t it? Not really. Rodgers is averaging his fewest fantasy points per game, 13.5, since he took over as starter for Green Bay in 2008. His season to date, which features nine passing touchdowns and three interceptions through six games, has him pegged as the No. 20 quarterback in fantasy – right above Bears dual-threat Justin Fields and directly below Raiders gunslinger Derek Carr. So no, we won’t feel guilty not starting Rodgers on our fantasy team – he very well could return to the wire next week.

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Milwaukee Bucks health (DOWN ⬇)

The good: Bucks basketball officially is back Thursday! Milwaukee visits Philadelphia to face James Harden, Joel Embiid and the rest of a talented 76ers squad that advanced last season to the Eastern Conference semis. The bad and the ugly: The Bucks won’t be at full-force in Philly. Three-time All-Star small forward Khris Middleton is set to miss the first couple weeks of 2022-23 after having offseason wrist surgery and veteran shooting guard Pat Connaughton won’t be available for about three weeks due to a right calf strain. Add newcomer and savvy 3-point shot Joe Ingles to the injured mix, as well, as he’s still recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in January while playing for the Jazz. The Bucks know plenty about playing shorthanded – big man Brook Lopez got hurt in the opener last year and missed more than three months of basketball – but to start the season that way sucks from a fan’s perspective.

Matt LaFleur, Packers head coach (DOWN ⬇)

For the first time in his run as Packers head coach, LaFleur has beared consecutive losses in the same regular season. For starters, that’s a testament to his success at getting his team to respond. It’s also a pretty good indicator that things have gone awry early this season in Green Bay. The Packers’ three losses at the six-game point are their most since dropping to San Francisco, Seattle and Indianapolis in Weeks 1, 3 and 5 during the 2012 campaign – not to mention as many losses as the team totaled in each of LaFleur’s first two regular seasons (2019-20). To LaFleur’s credit, this roster, specifically its receiving corps, doesn’t possess the same starpower or chemistry with Rodgers as years previous. That hurts. But blame falls on coaches first – they’re the first to tell you that – and LaFleur shouldn’t be off the hook for Green Bay’s distasteful start. As Rodgers noted after the loss to the Jets, it’s time to simplify the offense.

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Graham Mertz, Badgers quarterback (DOWN ⬇)

Well, Mertz fell back to earth against Michigan State after throwing for a career-high 299 yards and five touchdowns vs. Northwestern – way to jinx the Badgers QB, all you social media meanies. Against the Spartans defense, which ranked 122nd out of 131 teams defending the pass entering the game in East Lansing, Mertz went 14-for-24 with 131 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Yikes. It marked Mertz’s fourth game this season and 15th in his career (in 29 GP) with a completion rate under 60%. Double yikes. He’s been decent in ’22, but lacks the consistency you’d expect from a 4-star recruit. The bottom line: There’s no rhyme to his tenure as the Badgers starter, no reason to keep believing there will.

Rashan Gary, Packers edge (UP ⬆)

Six games. Six sacks. Gary’s sack-per-game pace translates to 17 over a full season – duh – which would crush his career high, set in 2021, of 9.5. The former No. 12 overall pick is flourishing in Year 4, earning elite grades from Pro Football Focus. Gary’s 81.0 pass-rush score is 15th among 111 edge defenders and his overall mark of 82.4 is 18th out of 115 qualifying players. His six sacks are tied for second most in the NFL, with six others, and trails only Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith who has 6.5. We might be motivated to start tracking Gary’s DPOY odds, particularly if Green Bay gets back to its winning formula. Through six games, he’s one of seven players receiving +1800 odds or better to win the award. The group of players – all pass-rushers we might add – included in that range are Micah Parsons (+100), Myles Garrett (+800), Nick Bosa (+1200), Maxx Crosby (+1600), Aaron Donald (+1800), Gary (+1800) and Von Miller (+1800).

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Randall Cobb, Packers wide receiver (DOWN ⬇)

Cobb got hurt Sunday vs. the Jets, injuring his ankle in the third quarter, spoiling the chance to build on the 7-99-0 statline he produced in Week 5. It’s a tough break for the 32-year-old slot savant who’s enjoying a kind of resurrection this season – PFF ranks Cobb as the sixth-best receiver among 110. (Note: we may reference PFF often, but let’s remember not to take their grades as gospel). The encouraging news is Cobb is supposed to return at a later date this season, and apparently avoided a serious injury.



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