UPDATE: Packers place electric wide receiver on IR

The Packers will not have the services of receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for this week’s game and sometime going forward. Green Bay is placing their speedy receiver on short-term IR. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the injury can be easily reaggravated, so they want to give him enough time to recover.

In the fourth quarter against the 49ers, Valdes-Scantling suffered an injury to his hamstring. He was a noticeable absent to Packers fans on their game-winning drive. The Green Bay receiver had three catches for 59 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game.

The packers will take it slow with Valdes-Scantling

LaFleur said the Packers will take the cautious approach in helping Valdes-Scantling recover.

“Anytime you’re dealing with a soft tissue injury, you want to be cautious with that because you don’t want it to turn into a long term deal,” said LaFleur.

And that is exactly what they are doing with this move. Valdes-Scantling will have to be on the injured reserve list for at least three weeks. That means he will be out for this week’s match-up between the Steelers, followed by games against the Cincinnati Bengals and hated divisional-rival Chicago Bears. Of those three teams, only the Bengals currently have a winning record at 3-1, while the Bears are still searching for their first win of the season.

The Packers could bring him back in Week 7 against the Washington Football Team if he is ready to go by then. Or they can keep him out a little longer with the short-term tag. Either way, fans should expect to see the wideout back on the field sometime soon.

On the year, Valdes-Scantling has been pretty quiet through three games. Against the Saints in the season opener, he caught three of his eight targets for just 17 yards. At Detriot, he was a non-factor in the passing game as he did not register a single catch in the game. However, against the 49ers, the Packer clearly put an emphasis on getting him the ball.

The Packers still have their elite All-Pro wide receiver DaVante Adams to lean on. But with Valdes-Scantling out the Green Bay Packers deep threat part of the offense takes a huge hit. Green Bay will have to rely on Allen Lazard, and offseason acquisition Randall Cobb to help create big plays in the passing game.