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Rodgahs returns to Pittsburgh

The mild uncertainty is over. Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers for one more year. There will be no combination of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar trying to coax fantasy value out of DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman.

Unless Rodgers gets hurt, that is. He is 42, an age at which bumps and bruises start to have more of an impact on things like walking to the fridge. But he'll be out there, probably putting up bottom-10 passing numbers.

That's been the case the past two years, for the Jets and Steelers. Among quarterbacks to start at least half the time those years, Rodgers averages 18 fantasy points (4-point TD passes, 1 point for every 20 passing yards and 10 rushing yards). That's better than Tua, Geno, Kirk and a couple of youngsters either coming off poor seasons (C.J.) or finding their way (Cam). Not guys you want on your fantasy rosters, at least based on the past couple of years, but at least the young guys can or will get better. The old guys like Rodgers are just hanging on.

QBS PER GAME, 2024-2025
PlayerStPYdTDPRYdTDRPts
Josh Allen34217.61.5632.6.7925.3
Lamar Jackson30224.02.0742.1.2025.0
Joe Burrow25269.12.409.7.0824.5
Brock Purdy24251.31.6719.6.3323.3
Jalen Hurts31197.61.3933.9.7123.1
Baker Mayfield34241.01.9722.4.1223.0
Patrick Mahomes30250.51.6024.3.2322.9
Jayden Daniels24201.31.3848.7.3322.8
Jared Goff34270.42.093.0.0322.4
Drake Maye29229.21.5929.6.2122.3
Bo Nix34226.61.5923.1.2922.0
Trevor Lawrence27224.11.4817.7.4421.9
Dak Prescott25261.21.649.2.1221.5
Kyler Murray22218.81.2333.9.2721.0
Matthew Stafford33256.62.001.3.0021.0
Justin Herbert33230.21.4824.4.1220.9
Sam Darnold34246.11.769.0.0320.6
Caleb Williams34220.11.3825.8.1220.1
Daniel Jones23224.81.1718.7.3019.7
Jacoby Brissett17238.91.4712.8.0619.6
Jordan Love30225.71.609.4.0319.2
Bryce Young28191.41.3616.3.2918.4
Aaron Rodgers33218.81.585.1.0318.1
Geno Smith32229.51.2511.9.0618.1
Tua Tagovailoa25221.11.563.7.0017.9
C.J. Stroud31218.31.2614.3.0317.6
Kirk Cousins22234.21.27.2.0517.1
Cam Ward17186.4.889.4.1214.5

A more relevant question is whether the guys you actually might want to have in lineups -- Metcalf, Pittman, Rico Dowdle, Pat Freiermuth -- will be OK with Rodgers. And the answer is maybe.

Table shows the top performers (PPR) with Rodgers in Pittsburgh and New York the last two seasons.

RODGERS' TOP TEAMMATES, 2024-2025
PlayerRunNoRecTDRk
Kenneth Gainwell, Pit.53773486816
Jaylen Warren, Pit.95840333818
Pat Freiermuth, Pit.041486425
DK Metcalf, Pit.1259850726
Garrett Wilson, NYJ5101110479
Breece Hall, NYJ87657483816
Tyler Conklin, NYJ051449418

I'm not excited to have another year of Rodgers, but he'll probably put up functional offensive numbers. While he won't be a desirable fantasy option, Pittsburgh's key skill guys should be decent.

--Andy Richardson

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