Fantasy Football 2024: Advice on Aaron Rodgers, Top Players Returning from Injury

Fantasy football managers are forever on the lookout for good values.

NFL players returning from injury can sometimes offer that—assuming, of course, their injury problems are in the past.

There is obvious risk in drafting and rostering players coming off of injuries, because no one knows how they'll respond. Maybe their recovery takes longer than expected. Perhaps their post-injury form pales in comparison to their pre-injury production.

However, when they return no worse for the wear, the only thing that's changed is a discounted draft price. That's where you find the value.

Here, we'll look at three prominent players returning from serious injuries and examine what, if any, attention you should give them during your draft.

Don't Expect Much from Nick Chubb

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BEREA, OHIO - JUNE 13: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns runs down the field during a mandatory minicamp workout at their CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 13, 2024 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

A healthy Nick Chubb ranked favorably among the league's most productive running backs. His first five NFL seasons all produced better than 1,000 scrimmage yards with 52 combined touchdowns.

Everything screeched to a halt last season, though, when a gruesome knee injury forced him off the field in Week 2 and later sent him under the knife for two different surgeries. He remains on the mend and, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, is expected to start this season on the Physically Unable to Perform List, which would sideline him for at least the first four contests.

Chubb's theoretical ceiling might be worth the wait, but his reality is more complicated. He has a lengthy injury history behind him and his 29th birthday ahead. Cleveland almost assuredly won't rush him back and has serviceable replacements in Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman.

Some will target Chubb and hope for the best anyway, but that feels too risky for us. Chubb tore the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus in his left knee last season, and while at the University of Georgia, he suffered a dislocation and tears of his PCL, LCL and MCL in the same knee. A full recovery would be objectively awesome to see, but we wouldn't invest in the chances of it happening.

Don't Overinvest in Aaron Rodgers

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 10: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on August 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers isn't super far removed from being one of the best quarterbacks around—in real-life and fantasy football.

Having said that, fantasy managers should do what they can not to focus on his name brand. Instead, they have to be realistic about who Rodgers is now: a 40-year-old coming off a torn Achilles whose stats had slipped the last time he was healthy (3,695 yards with 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions over 17 games in 2022).

"He looks old," one NFL head coach told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "If they can't protect him and they can't run the football, it'll be just what you saw late stages in Green Bay. He became ineffective. I'm looking at what he is, not who he is."

It's possible Rodgers turns back the clock, but we wouldn't stake our fantasy hopes on that happening. In addition to his own statistical slowdown, the Jets are unlikely to play with much pace, and their dominant defense will likely keep them out of many shootouts. So, even if Rodgers finds a way to be efficient, he may not have enough volume to matter.

Take the Discount on Kirk Cousins

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 23: Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

To be clear, there are reasons to worry about Kirk Cousins.

He is a 36-year-old who tore his Achilles last season, and his team just spent the No. 8 pick on another quarterback (Michael Penix Jr.). The Falcons also averaged the seventh-fewest points per game last season (18.9).

All of that said, Cousins looked awesome before the injury. In just eight games, he racked up 2,331 passing yards and 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He was the seventh-highest fantasy scorer and sixth-ranked quarterback at the time of his injury, per FantasyPros.

His healthy version can still be elite. Oh, and this Atlanta offense could be an awful lot better with Cousins under center, Zac Robinson taking over the playcalling and the Falcons' young playmakers perhaps being better utilized than ever (receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts). As long as the injury risks are being baked into Cousins' draft cost, he could have major bargain potential.