Should You Add Aaron Rodgers Back to Your Fantasy Football Team?

When New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury in the team’s first game of the season, the consensus was that Rodgers was done for the season. Some even thought it might have been the last time we were ever going to see Rodgers play.

Fast forward to mid-November, and there’s rumblings that Rodgers could be back on the field again this season. It sounds crazy, but that’s where we sit right now.

It’s being reported that Rodgers is targeting mid-December for a return to the field. Jets coach Robert Saleh said that Rodgers will have the final say on his return.

It’s a fascinating development, and one that needs to be discussed from a fantasy perspective. Let’s dive in.

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Initial Thoughts

The Jets are 4-5 going into the 11th week of the NFL season. New York has mostly remained in the playoff picture because of its defense, which is seventh in the league at 19.1 points allowed. The offense, now being run by Zach Wilson, is 30th in the league with 16 points per contest.

For Rodgers to return this season, it only makes sense if the Jets are still in the playoff picture. A mid-December return likely means that Rodgers could be back against the Houston Texans in week 14 or Miami Dolphins in week 15. New York plays a reeling Buffalo Bills team in week 11 before a clash with the Dolphins at home. The Jets open December with a home game against the Atlanta Falcons.

If the season ended today, the Jets would be the No. 13 seed, so there’s lots of work to be done just to get into the playoff picture. Winning two of the next three games would help a bit, although they’d need to also get some help and have teams currently ahead of them in the standings stumble over that same timeframe. 

Winning three straight games would obviously be ideal, but that simply doesn’t seem likely with what we’ve seen out of the Jets this season. New York won three straight games earlier this season, and beat the Philadelphia Eagles during that run, so it’s not completely crazy.

I’d say the odds of the Jets being in a spot to go after a postseason berth are lower than 50%, but if they can tread water for a couple more weeks, maybe Rodgers can somehow return and save their season.

How to Approach Rodgers in Your League

Many fantasy owners probably dropped Rodgers in redraft leagues as soon as the injury was revealed as an Achilles one. If you are in a keeper or dynasty league and had IR spots to use, then maybe you stashed Rodgers there in hopes he’d make a return to the field in 2024. You might just be rewarded at the end of this season.

If your league offers IR spots and you have some available, I don’t see the harm in picking up Rodgers and stashing him in one of those spots. The worst that can happen is the Jets continue to lose and Rodgers doesn’t take the field again.

If your league has a cap on the number of fantasy quarterbacks you can own, or if your league doesn’t offer IR spots, then I probably would not stash Rodgers on your bench. 

The only way I’d consider it is if you had a QB that’s already had their bye week and is one you are going to be starting every week anyways - Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert. But in those cases, I’m not sure why you’d really want to add Rodgers anyways. 

You’d be much better off utilizing that last roster spot with a running back, wide receiver or tight end than a quarterback who might not even suit up again, and wouldn’t likely be your starter either.

The Impact of Rodgers Over Wilson

Wilson has had moments this season where he looked like an above-average starting quarterback, but more often than not, he’s looked overwhelmed and average at best. Guys like Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson still get their numbers in fantasy because they are great talents, but not many others are consistent fantasy threats.

I’m not sure what kind of quarterback Rodgers would be just months after a major injury, but this is one of the most talented quarterbacks to play the game, and even having Rodgers out there at 50% would probably turn the other offensive players into better fantasy options.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to add or trade for any of them just because the team could be out of contention soon and scale back the snaps and workload for each guy, but if you currently roster any Jets’ backs, wideouts or tight ends, there’s a glimmer of hope that they could be fantasy stars during the most crucial fantasy matchups of the season.