Jared Abbrederis played a career-high 28 snaps in the Packers' wild-card win over the Redskins last week. Now, with receiver Davante Adams ruled out for Saturday night's divisional matchup with the Cardinals, Abbrederis is the leader to fill the void.
The role and usage for Abbrederis could be different than that of Adams, though, which would cause a ripple effect for Green Bay's offense. The Cardinals likely won't have Patrick Peterson shadow Abbrederis, a 2014 fifth-rounder.
If Arizona's offense comes close to its typical production, the Packers will need at least half of Abbrederis' season total (nine catches for 111 yards) in one night.
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Both catches and all four Jared Abbrederis targets came from of the slot in WC win. #packers #cardinals https://t.co/K5miRIKPnH
— Thomas Emerick (@ThomasEmerick) January 15, 2016 Aaron Rodgers has gone to bat for Abbrederis in the past and has shown far more trust in him than Jeff Janis, who saw no targets on four snaps Sunday. Abbrederis received zero snaps in Week 17 but did get two targets in the wild-card win prior to Adams' injury.
Both incompletions to Jared Abbrederis vs. WAS came in Q1, batted pass and drop. #packers #cardinals https://t.co/xMZHlqWLey
— Thomas Emerick (@ThomasEmerick) January 15, 2016 James Jones stays predominantly out wide and in Week 16 drew Peterson, who spends only seven percent of snaps in the slot (via Pro Football Focus data). It's possible that Randall Cobb could face Peterson in certain situations. Cobb ran 75 percent of his routes from the slot in the wild-card round, adding some backfield work with five carries.
Abbrederis ran all his routes from the slot on Sunday and received two targets with Adams on the field, both in the first quarter. Cobb did not move out wide in either situation, lining up in the slot opposite and in the backfield.
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Coach Mike McCarthy must find a way to exploit the absence of versatile defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, even if Arizona has no shortage of quality depth in coverage.
Green Bay visits Arizona for an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday.
Footage via NFL Game Pass.