The week 1 injury to much-hyped new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent armchair GMs into a tailspin in 2023
All plans went awry for the New York Jets just a few plays into their season when their prized, new quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon. They went from a team dreaming of a Super Bowl to sleepwalking through a nightmare of a season. But the former Super Bowl MVP’s injury ruined the fantasies of many others, as well.
The rip in Rodgers’ Achilles didn’t just have a ripple effect on his team and the overall NFL season, it also ruined the record of anyone who drafted the veteran in fantasy football. As several podcasts and TV analysts have noted, the injury to the four-time NFL MVP had several pretend GMs scrambling.
As pointed out by writer Drew Loftis this week in the NY Post, Aaron Rodgers being out of action didn’t just affect the team that drafted him. It also affected the stats of the players who were counting on him to help them have big years – and therefore, those fantasy squads, too.
“The damage is more than [Rodgers being injured],” Loftis reasoned. “It also includes what it did to peripheral players — the receivers who would catch passes from him, the running backs who would find wider gaps as defenses focused more on defending the pass.”
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Aaron Rodgers Injury Wreaked Havoc On Fantasy Teams
Loftis explained the ripple effect of Aaron Rodgers’ injury in further detail.
“Like, we expected Garrett Wilson to be a steal as an early second-round pick, capable of being a top-five wide receiver,” Loftis continued. “Instead, he was WR24 heading into Week 15, and even that feels like it has been a struggle. Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, thought to be decent fantasy depth pieces who were cheap, have been invisible. No tight end has been relevant. And Breece Hall and the running game also has run aground.”
It’s an interesting point and not one that many fantasy players consider. It’s also an illustration of why QB is still the most important position in the world – whether it be the real one, or a fantasy one.
Meanwhile, the Jets (5-9) were holding out hope that Aaron Rodgers could complete a miracle comeback and play again at the end of this season. They dreamt of holding on long enough – winning close contests and staying in contention – to warrant him coming back to lead the team in the postseason. As this tough year winds down, however, it appears that all those hopes and dreams were just a fantasy.
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