Tucker Kraft Not on Injury Report
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is not listed on the team’s Week 1 injury report as they get set to take on the division-rival Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kraft is ready to roll for the season opener after suffering a season-ending torn ACL on Nov. 2 last year against the Carolina Panthers.
Reports during training camp this summer suggested Kraft could open the season on a snap count, drawing comparisons to how Green Bay eased Christian Watson back from his own ACL tear the year prior. But with Kraft having practiced in full pads for weeks now and taking his first full-contact reps during a joint practice with the Cardinals in late August, that cautious approach increasingly looks unnecessary.
The 25-year-old former third-round pick out of South Dakota State was among the best tight ends in football before getting hurt last year, catching 32 of his 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns in just eight games. Through Week 8 of last season, only Dallas’ Jake Ferguson had scored more fantasy points at the position, and Kraft’s stretch included a career-high 33.3-point outing.
Despite coming off a serious knee injury, Kraft is expected to be a top-five option at the tight end position in 2026, and the opportunity in front of him has only grown since his injury. Green Bay’s receiver room lost both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, a pair who combined for 131 targets, a 31.0% target share, and eight receiving touchdowns last season. That volume has to go somewhere, and Kraft is positioned to absorb a meaningful chunk of it. Running back Josh Jacobs’ continued absence from the team adds another layer of opportunity, potentially opening up additional red-zone work that might otherwise have gone to Green Bay’s backfield.
There’s still a contract situation to watch in the background, with reporting suggesting Kraft would like an extension in place around this time, though that remains unresolved and is separate from his on-field readiness. For fantasy purposes, none of that changes the outlook for Sunday. Start Kraft with confidence in Week 1 against the Vikings.
