Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Amari Rodgers, WR GB

Amari Rodgers

Jeff Mueller Posted On May 21, 2021

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Amari Rodgers

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: Green Bay Packers

College Team: Clemson Tigers

Draft Status: Round three, pick 85

Video Highlights

PRO DAY REVIEW

Height: 5’9 1/2”
Weight: 212
Arms: 30 3/8”
Hands: 9 1/2”
40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds
Three-Cone Drill: 7.07 seconds

Rodgers participated in testing at Clemson’s pro day and participated in drills at the senior bowl.

STRENGTHS

Quick, efficient route runner with minimal wasted steps
Makes himself an available target, coming back to help his quarterback
Runs with low center of gravity, making for quick change of direction
Reliable and soft hands, with a wide catch radius for his size
Willing to lay out or go up for a catch – relentless and fearless

WEAKNESSES

Some have deemed him Deebo Samuel-lite, but he does not break as many tackles
Does not possess a third gear
Possibly limited to a slot role where he can leverage mismatches; limited route tree
Late breakout age and late declare

OPPORTUNITIES

The Packers have passed for 573 and 526 attempts in the last two seasons with Matt LaFleur as head coach. Davante Adams is the undisputed WR1 of the team. However, there are not many threats behind Amari Rodgers. He unlikely absorbs many targets in year one, but as far as draft capital he will not have much competition.

THREATS

The main threat here is the possibility of losing Aaron Rodgers if the Packers’ front office does not handle this debacle correctly. In that scenario, all Packers receivers will have a vastly inferior quarterback at the helm, barring a trade for a veteran. This threat may be why Amari Rodgers’ ADP is so low in rookie drafts, as well.

Rodgers does carry injury risk, as well. He has a history of a torn ACL, though has one of the most remarkable return to play stories heard in sports, coming back after only five months and thirteen days. However, he displayed his ability to remain healthy upon return and played admirably in 2020, playing a key role and leading Clemson in receiving.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Do not expect Rodgers to perform well right out of the gate. He remains behind Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and possibly Equanimeous St. Brown. There is also the unknown regarding Devin Funchess (sat out 2020 due to COVID-19), though he may be a camp cut. The best bet is Rodgers establishing himself as the starting slot wide receiver by mid-season and earning more snaps.

He will also contend for targets with Robert Tonyan and Aaron Jones, arguably the number two and number three targets in the Packers offense behind Adams.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Rodgers can be fully expected to serve as the WR2 behind Davante Adams in the long term. He has reliable hands, adequate speed, fantastic football IQ, and ability to find soft spots in zone coverage, and fights his way back to his quarterback in need – all reasons why Aaron Rodgers will love throwing to him if he agrees to remain a Packer.

Amari Rodgers’ future becomes murkier if Aaron Rodgers and the Packers cannot come to an agreement. If Aaron continues to demand a trade and his wish is granted, Amari might be receiving passes from an un-developed Jordan Love or another veteran quarterback. He will unlikely reach his top potential if the Packers start over at the quarterback position, relying on a young, unproven player to fill in for Aaron Rodgers.

There have also been newly reported rumors that if Aaron Rodgers does leave Green Bay, Davante Adams could pursue a trade. In this scenario, the target share of this entire offense completely opens up and Amari Rodgers very well could work his way into a prominent role. The difficult decision of investment in fantasy would still remain.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

Lance Zierlein has given Rodgers a comp to Christian Kirk, while others have mentioned Deebo Samuel and Randall Cobb. Cobb was a favorite of Aaron Rodgers, thus the excitement in the Cobb comparison.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

According to May 2021 Rookie Dynasty ADP, Rodgers is coming off the board as the WR11 and overall 22st pick in 1QB drafts. The price is decent, though Rodgers is unlikely to develop into a high-end fantasy WR1 or WR2. He will most likely be a trusty WR3/slot, which is still needed in fantasy.

I cannot argue with anyone who would want to take Pat Freiermuth, Nico Collins, or Kenneth Gainwell ahead of Rodgers due to their potential upside at their respective positions (Collins does profile as an alpha wide receiver, though it is very difficult to predict his situation as well with the Deshaun Watson case).

One other idea may be to trade out of your late second, early third-round pick for a future second-round pick. In this scenario, Rodgers might be a better prospect to target in a future trade compared to drafting him in your rookie draft.

Author
Recent Posts

Jeff Mueller

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Jeff is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a specialty as a Certified Speed & Agility Coach. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking in Yosemite with his wife and dogs and has been an avid football fan since birth (go 49ers!). He also firmly believes that everyone needs to invest in a home gym with multiple TVs to watch all of the games on Sunday while working out.