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Had it not been for the injury to his collarbone, Aaron Rodgers would have never, ever been on a fantasy football dark horse sleeper list anywhere. He is too good. In standard scoring formats, Rodgers has the fourth highest fantasy points per game average. He was averaging 277 yards per game at the time of his injury. His completion percentage of 66.9 is still fifth in the league. Yet due to his injury, he has missed the entire second half of the season. The Green Bay Packers will officially announce on Thursday if Rodgers is going to play in week 17 on the road against the Chicago Bears, and if your league is still playing Rodgers is worth grabbing if available on the waiver wire right now.
At this point in the fantasy season, roster depth means nothing. It does an owner no good to have a stacked bench if his starters won’t get the job done. Owners should more or less have their starting lineup set, and a backup ready to go if for whatever reason one of the starters gets hurt in practice. Letting go of one player you have on your roster to stash Rodgers is a smart play.
On paper, Chicago looks like a tough matchup for quarterbacks, as they allow the ninth fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The eyeball test shows differently though. The Bears have gotten lit up this season by Jason Campbell and Matt Cassel. They allowed three touchdown pass games to Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford. Ben Roethlisberger hung 406 yards on Chicago. They have allowed two or more touchdown passes in seven of 15 games. A healthy Rodgers is without question better than any of those quarterbacks and certainly has the potential to match or exceed those stats.
Assuming he starts I wouldn’t be surprised if Rodgers has a little rust, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he lit up the Bears defense. Over his last two full games against Chicago, Rodgers is 45 of 68 (66 percent) for 510 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.
Even if you have no intention of playing him, I would still consider adding him to prevent your opponent from the opportunity. Romo was lost for week 17 earlier this week, and I’m sure that if his owner is still in the hunt he is looking at Rodgers. If you hypothetically pass on Rodgers, your opponent scoops/starts him, and he has a monster game, you will feel pretty dumb. Rodgers was a first round draft choice in the majority of fantasy leagues this summer, and owners who drafted him had visions of him winning a fantasy Super Bowl for their respective squads. Now that the title is on the line, Rodgers is worth adding to your roster.
Happy Holidays everyone.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.
Dustin Manko is an author at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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