Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks labored through what can only be described as a nightmare start to his 2024 season.
The numbers certainly paint a terrifying picture of a second-year receiver going through some major issues.
Entering Week 10, Wicks has caught only 16 of 43 targets — good for a catch percentage of 37.2. That ranks dead last among all NFL players with at least 30 targets this season. Not surprisingly, Wicks is only averaging only 4.5 yards per target with a receiving success rate of 27.8 — both bottom two marks among players with at least 30 targets.
How bad is it? Wicks is on pace to become the first wide receiver since John Ross in 2018 to catch less than 40 percent of targets and average under 5.0 yards per target in a season.
Wicks has an NFL-high eight drops, per ESPN Research. His “Catch Rate Over Expected” is -23.2, by far the worst mark among players with at least 25 targets. His receiving EPA is -16.9, per Next Gen Stats, highlighting how badly Wicks has hurt the Packers in terms of scoring points this season.
Pro Football Focus has charted Wicks with six drops, but his drop percentage of 27.3 leads all players with at least 20 targets. And Wicks is 0-for-9 on what PFF describes as “contested catches,” making him the only player with at least eight contested catch opportunities and zero catches.
These numbers are all just a fancy way of saying Wicks is failing to finish catches at an alarming rate and he’s bringing down the entire Packers passing offense with him.
Can Wicks get his season turned around coming out of the bye?
Coach Matt LaFleur said the Packers — who are among the league leaders in drops this season — haven’t always used the right technique catching the football and are not using “aggressive” hands enough. He also said he still has confidence in Wicks given what he’s seen in a practice setting over the last two years.
Wicks is still getting open at a high rate. Last season, he dropped only two of 61 targets, so the Packers know he can finish. It’s possible the drop issue will begin to even out over the second half of the season and Wicks will become a more reliable weapon.
The Packers have been inconsistent in the passing game through the midway point of 2024. Part of the problem has been a pair of injuries to Jordan Love, who isn’t playing at the same level as his finish to 2023. But Wicks’ inability to finish plays is another big part of the puzzle. It won’t be surprising if the Packers’ passing game begins to catch fire if Love can heal during the bye and Wicks can find a way to snap out of his second-year slump during the second half of 2024.
