The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact of the injury to Aaron Rodgers

Four snaps. That’s what the much-anticipated season of Aaron Rodgers ended up being for the New York Jets after A-Rod went down with what has now been confirmed as a torn Achilles on Monday night. The injury will undoubtedly end his season and put his future in the NFL very much in doubt. There are few injuries in the history of fantasy football (or real football) that hurt like this one and it has some major dynasty implications. Let’s run down the players affected.

Aaron Rodgers, QB NYJ

After what ended up being a painful divorce from Green Bay, the beautiful mystery was effectively over and supposed to lead Rodgers to a Super Bowl run with the Jets. Now, he faces a very uncertain future. At 39 years of age, he was already the oldest player in the NFL and will now face a massive rehab to get himself back into playing form. With the back and forth we typically see from him, this could be a long process before we even learn if he wants to play again. If he does, he’s going to re-enter the league as a 40-year old player who will have a lot to prove. This is tragic by any measure as Rodgers seemed to be totally invested and his teammates were talking about how he had fallen in love with the game again.

Rodgers was already towards the end of his career but also a player who was a perfect target for a contending dynasty team. An MVP-caliber season seemed to be in reach and now that dream is over. Rodgers’ ADP is going to sink some but he’s going to remain a low-cost player who could have one more big season in him. The biggest impact his injury really has in dynasty leagues has everything to do with the upside he was going to bring to his skill position players. No matter how you slice it, this was awful. We just have to wait and see what Rodgers himself has to say. Will he even attempt to come back from this?

Zach Wilson, QB NYJ

Wilson was essentially given up on by the Jets. Now, they’ll turn to him and hope he can bring them to the Super Bowl. Such is life in the NFL as things tend to move pretty fast. Wilson has been immature, erratic and inconsistent throughout his career. However, we know he has a ton of talent and perhaps he’s learned a little about being a pro from Rodgers the past few months. Regardless, this is a major opportunity for Wilson, who was set to carry a clipboard into eternity. Wilson’s ADP had hit rock bottom and it will now start to undoubtedly creep up unless the Jets make a move. He should be added off waivers this week just to see if he has some magic in him. Don’t expect a Kurt Warner / Trent Green situation but at least Wilson didn’t face plant last night.

Jets Skill Players

This isn’t good for the likes of Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, Garrett Wilson, or any of the other Jets skill position players. Rodgers was poised to allow all of them to reach their potential and now that seems unlikely to happen, regardless of who may be under center for them in the near future. This is a major buzzkill for all of them, especially Garrett Wilson, who was poised to become.a bona fide WR1 this season. With Rodgers on the shelf, it’s hard to see any of these players becoming more dominant forces moving forward.

Quarterback Trade Targets

The Jets let Mike White go in free agency to Miami and that now looks tragic. With Trey Lance in Dallas, the number of quarterbacks you could trade for are limited. Could the Texans give up Case Keenum? Would the Colts trade Gardner Minshew?  What about Jameis Winston, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, or Drew Lock? The options are limited for the Jets and it’s hard to see any of these players really moving the needle, though Winston could be interesting. Thing is, teams tend to have backup quarterbacks for a reason and the free agent scrap heap could be a better option.

Free Agent Targets

The Jets could look at some targets on the scrap heap if they don’t believe in Zach Wilson and those options could include players like Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Nick Foles, Cam Newton, and a whole host of others. Regardless, it’s hard to see any of these players making a huge impact.