With Aaron Rodgers testing positive for COVID, Jordan Love is the Packers’ new starting quarterback — at least for Week 9 (and possibly for Week 10). Is Love worth adding off waivers for fantasy football lineups, and what is his realistic range of production for the first start of his NFL career?
Should you get Jordan Love on the waiver wire?
This is a fascinating question, as it comes down to four major factors.
First, do you have a pretty reliable top-10 QB these next two weeks? Green Bay gets a nice matchup this weekend against the often anemic Chiefs defense. Next week, they have a home tilt against a similarly beatable Seahawks defense — that is, if Rodgers is unable to get cleared during this relatively brief window. So if you’re QB-needy, this is a promising situation.
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That said, we don’t know if other Packers will test positive in the coming days. As a result, while Love’s QB1 potential is clear, there are also some obvious risks that a more reliable top-10 QB might not have.
Second, do your opponents these next two weeks have pretty reliable top-10 QBs? If not, and if you have the bench space, it makes sense to block them from landing someone who, on a great day, might be able to post 18+ fantasy points. Last week, we watched three backup QBs — Mike White, Trevor Siemian, and Cooper Rush — help lead their teams to unlikely victories. Two of them posted QB1 numbers.
Any QB sharing the field with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones is a threat to do damage
Third, who would you have to drop to add Love? If it’s a handcuff RB with huge upside if the starter goes down, that’s too rich for me. But if it’s a WR4, it makes sense to roll with Love as a fallback option. Suppose you’re starting Matthew Stafford on Sunday night, but he’s suddenly declared questionable on Saturday with an unexpected injury — that WR4 won’t help you as much as Love could.
Fourth, do you play in a dynasty league or 2QB league? For dynasty, Week 9 could be the first of many starts for Love in a Packers uniform. While the offense could look quite different next season, Love is a sensible add if available. And for 2QB, Love might be the only Week 9 starting QB sitting on waivers, making him a must-add.
Is Love a fantasy option in Week 9 against the Chiefs?
Much has been said about the Packers’ decision to draft Love in the first round in 2020. This is his moment. Assuming Adams and Jones and the supporting cast are healthy and active, he will have plenty to work with on Sunday. The team is coming off an extraordinarily impressive victory over the previously undefeated Cardinals.
But they might employ a similar approach against Kansas City that they used against Arizona. Both opponents can score in buckets, though the Chiefs clearly have struggled in their last two games (23 total points).
Don’t be surprised if we see a repeat of Week 8 when Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined for 38 touches as Green Bay had the ball for an astounding 15 more minutes than Arizona did.
That focus on moving the chains versus big plays might be the Packers’ best chance for a win. It also could lower Love’s ceiling. That’s why he’s worth a dart throw if you don’t have a top-10 QB.