Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to deal with a foot injury. They get a divisional matchup against the Minnesota Vikings with plenty on the line. The Packers are playing for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, which will get them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Will Rodgers play this week, and what can fantasy football expect from him in Week 17?
Update 02/01/22: Aaron Rodgers is officially active and will play tonight against the Vikings.
Aaron Rodgers’ 2021 production
Rodgers is in the midst of an elite 2021 campaign. He owns 3,689 yards with 33 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on 475 pass attempts through 14 games. Additionally, he has recorded 86 yards and 3 scores on the ground. Rodgers has been playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL over his last five games.
Over that span, he’s averaging 300 yards and 3.2 touchdowns per game without throwing any interceptions. He took somewhat of a step back last week, throwing for only 202 yards against the Cleveland Browns. With that said, Rodgers threw 3+ touchdowns in four of his last five games. He is on his way to winning another MVP award.
Will Rodgers play this week?
Rodgers continues to deal with a broken pinky toe. He injured it a few weeks ago when he missed the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on the COVID list. Since then, Rodgers has practiced in a limited fashion while suiting up on Sunday.
He has taken that route again this season, as Rodgers recorded a “DNP” on Wednesday and Thursday before recording a limited session on Friday. He should suit up without issues once again this weekend.
How will this affect the Packers’ offense?
The Packers feature one of the best offenses in the NFL with Rodgers playing. They’ve been dealing with a few COVID issues, and that’s the case again in Week 17. Still, most of their core players are back, specifically WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Marcedes Lewis (who’s played a surprisingly big role this season) and Amari Rodgers will miss this game on the COVID list. Randall Cobb is also out with an injury.
Ultimately, Rodgers has the ability to produce with anyone in the Green Bay offense. He has proven he can find success with backups, but he’ll be in an exceptional spot with the majority of their skill group healthy entering this weekend.
Are fantasy points available vs. Minnesota?
Rodgers boasts elite fantasy potential against Minnesota, as they’ve struggled against quarterbacks. The Vikings are allowing 18.7 fantasy points per game to the position, which ranks in the bottom seven in the NFL.
Rodgers had his best game of the year against Minnesota in Week 11. He threw for 385 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also only needed 33 pass attempts to hit those numbers.
The Vikings allow the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Furthermore, they rank in the bottom 10 of the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs.
Green Bay hasn’t focused on their tight ends in 2021, and this is a great matchup for the way their offense is designed. Everyone can be used as normal, with Rodgers sliding in as a QB1 option this week. He also boasts the potential to end the week as the QB1, not just a QB1.