Green Bay Packers Fantasy Profile: Week 2
By Kenn Korb
Sep 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
QB – Aaron Rodgers
Last Week: 18/23, 189 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 35 rush yards; 23.06 fantasy points
My expectations for Aaron Rodgers this past week were sky-high.
He was facing a team he routinely dismantles (13-3 vs the Bears in his career) during what is assuredly a rebuilding phase that includes a total overhaul of their defensive scheme.
He didn’t quite reach my high hopes, but he did very well regardless.
He missed on only 5 of his 23 passes while garnering an efficient 189 yards and 3 TDs. He completed 5/6 passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield. His QBR* was 94.4, second only to the monstrous debut of Marcus Mariota.
Don’t let that yardage total get you down; it has little to do with Rodgers or the offense in general and more to do with the gameplan Chicago was able to implement.
Run is what they did well. In doing so, they were able to control the clock and hold the Packers from having the large number of possessions that tends to be required to rack up the kind of yardage we come to expect of great quarterbacks.
Unfortunately, we may see Rodgers further suppressed in that aspect for another week.
Seattle may have given up a ton of points last week to the Rams, but they are still a formidable unit even without Kam Chancellor at the moment. The 34 points they gave up weren’t all the fault of the defense; one of the TDs was off a punt return. They also caused three turnovers on the day.
Even without Chancellor, they still have players across every level of the defense that are more than capable of disrupting even the best offense. Michael Bennett is a multi-positional force on the defensive line.
Bobby Wagner is probably the best MLB not named Luke Kuechley (and Seattle-backers would scoff at him being considered that low on the list). Earl Thomas is in his own class at safety league-wide. And of course the brash-yet-eloquent Richard Sherman still can shut down an entire side of the field as their CB1.
It is great that Rodgers will not have the mobility issues he was hampered by during that last meeting; that alone could give Green Bay enough leeway to pull out a win. But while he has the capability to shred any defense on a given day (and usually does), predicting a big game here isn’t the smart move.
If you invested in grabbing him in your draft, you’re obviously going to want to use him since he’s almost certainly your best option any week regardless of opponent.
Just be sure to suppress expectations a bit.
Week 2 Prediction: 250 passing yards, 1 TDs, 1 INTs, 20 rush yards; 14.00 Fantasy Points
Verdict: Slightly-Leery Starter