There hasn’t been a team with more drama this offseason than the Green Bay Packers. Between the Aaron Rodgers saga, Davante Adams wanting a new contract, and another questionable draft class from the front office, Packers fans are left asking: what are we to expect this season?
Today, I’m going to make my best diving impression and go deep into the depths of the Packers’ fantasy football outlook for the 2021 season. On a team packed with superstars, we’ll take a look at who I think will live up to the hype, who to fade at ADP, and more! So get comfortable, my little cheeseheads. Let’s dive in!
Note: You can follow the entire Look Inside series with this link and you can watch the full No Punt Intended episode on Youtube below with special guest Jake Trowbridge, cohost from BallBlast and the Drinking and Talking Fantasy Football podcasts.
Quarterback
Well, well, well…. it appears Aaron Rodgers is going to get what he wanted all along. He and the team are reportedly in the midst of contract talks to give him a big ol’ chunk of change to return to the team this season. While it seemed extremely uncertain throughout the offseason, Rodgers’ return shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since he basically had no leverage. Hopefully, none of you out there went all-in on Jordan Love, but if you did…. take this as a little virtual hug for your ego. Anyway, moving on to Rodgers’ fantasy outlook this season.
Coming off of an MVP season, Rodgers is bound to regress, in my opinion. Aaron Rodgers is one of the most talented QBs ever to step foot onto an NFL field. However, this is fantasy football, and it’s all about predicting the future, not dwelling on the past. I think Rodgers is bound to regress throwing the ball this season, and with limited rushing capabilities, I don’t think he cracks a top-5 fantasy finish at the position.
The big question for me that can take Rodgers to the next level is what rookie Amari Rodgers can bring to this offense? The rookie WR from Clemson could really be a sneaky X-Factor in this offense that could transform Rodgers from a top-10 guy to a top-5 guy for me. However, I’m currently projecting Aaron Rodgers to finish as my QB10 this season.
Running Backs
The Packers backfield has been an interesting one over the last few years. First, we had the #FreeAaronJones movement. Then, AJ Dillion enters the picture, muddying the water with the trio of Jamaal Williams, Jones, and Dillion. Now, Williams is in Detroit, so finally, with some clarity on the Green Bay backfield, let’s dive into the fantasy outlook of this two-person tango for the 2021 season.
Let’s start with Aaron Jones. Jones has been an uber-efficient fantasy RB over the last two seasons, putting up a monstrous TD rate with a large workload to pair with it, making him one of the best in the business. With another season back with Aaron Rodgers in what should be a high-powered offense that finds themselves in positive game scripts often, I imagine that Jones will return to another year of RB1 relevance.
However, I am lower on Jones than most due to AJ Dillion and his massive quads. Dillion has a pure-rushing skill set that you can’t help falling in love with. After finishing the season strong last year in Aaron Jones’ absence, I think that Quadzilla will have a larger role than some expect this season, especially around the goal line. Thus, making him a thorn in Aaron Jones’ quads. I currently have Aaron Jones ranked as my RB11 this season; however, he has tremendous upside, and he will certainly outperform his ADP. Dillion is viewed in a similar lense to Gus Edwards to me, he could have weekly flex play value, but if Jones were to go down due to injury, it’s all Quads time.
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams is good. End paragraph.
Just kidding! That would be way too easy. So instead, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of this Packers WR room.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a guy that I really cannot get a read on. I expect him to sit on the waiver wire in redraft leagues until he has his yearly 30 point game that everyone falls in love with. I do love MVS in best-ball leagues, though, and I think he has true league-winning potential in that format.
The only other WR that I care about on this team besides Adams is Amari Rodgers. His 3rd round draft capital is nothing to sneeze at, and I certainly think that the Rodgers to Rodgers connection could become quite a delicious snack for your fantasy rosters this season. I think the reason he’s a great late-round flier in drafts is because of his skill set. An RB and WR rolled into one, Rodgers is a YAC machine who could see a manufactured amount of touches every single week with big-play potential. I like his outlook as a stash this season.
What more needs to be said about Davante? I mean, the guy is an alien. He’s a bonafide TD machine and a go-to X receiver that Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball to. He’s my WR1 this season, and he should be yours as well! Draft this man!
Tight End
Ah, my little cheeseheads, we come to the end of our journey with Mr. Robert Tonyan. Remember when everyone pronounced his name wrong, and he had to correct us all? That was awkward…
Anyways, Tonyan is a monstrous red zone threat in the modern-day NFL, and he had a fantastic season last year paired up with MVP Aaron Rodgers. However, I have some major TD regression concerns with Tonyan; just because the production level was at last season is freaking impossible to replicate unless he develops into an all-time great overnight, which hey, it’s possible. Still, I’m going to be betting the other way, thanks.
Tonyan is currently slated as my TE9 on the season, and he’ll provide your team with 20+ point upside every week if he has a nice multi TD game, but he could leave you disappointed due to low volume.
