Aaron Rodgers and 14 Fantasy Studs Making Owners Nervous Down the Stretch

It is now officially crunch time in all fantasy football leagues. 

The playoffs have started or, at the very least, been set for the final two weeks of the NFL regular season. Now is the time where your roster likely is what it is. You have the same stud players that you rode all the way to this point and you plan on continuing to ride them to the end.

However, things change. 

The biggest headache with fantasy football is how much things can change from week to week. One week, you may think that you have one of the top players in the league, and then one bad matchup later, you are ready to cut them. 

It is the basic ups and downs that come with fantasy football. All you can do is roll out the best squad possible for that week and hope that everything plays out the way you expect it to.

That doesn't mean that you won't be sweating watching certain players take the field this weekend. 

Here are 15 guys that fantasy owners have relied on all year long, but are now making them a little nervous.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers has been a fantasy god all season long.

I imagine that the vast majority of owners would take Rodgers first overall if they could redo their drafts knowing what we know now. 

However, last week, for the first time all season, Rodgers let his fantasy owners down. He played by far the worst game of his season, throwing for only 235 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fantasy owners were expecting astronomical stats with a matchup like Kansas City. 

Now, it is likely that Rodgers won't have another week like that. The real reason to begin sweating is now the Packers have no reason to play him. Green Bay is incredibly close to locking up control of the NFC Conference, so it is likely Rodgers may earn some time on the bench.

Will you get enough points out of Rodgers in just one half of football? Fantasy owners will be on the edge of their seats to find out this weekend. 

Green Bay Packers Receivers

This could simply be summed up as "see previous slide."

The Packers receivers that fantasy owners have snagged up hoping to benefit from Aaron Rodgers huge season will all take huge fantasy hits with him on the bench. In fact, it is likely that receivers like Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley will see their share of the bench as well.

If Green Bay decides to rest their starters, I would be avoiding any fantasy options from that team at all costs.

Rob Gronkowski

If you are an owner of Rob Gronkowski in your fantasy league, you are probably now one of his biggest fans. 

"Gronk" is putting together one of the best fantasy football seasons for a tight end ever. He is one of Tom Brady's favorite targets anywhere on the field, but most importantly near the end zone.

He has already grabbed 15 receiving touchdowns this year, and with Miami and Buffalo to finish off the year, fantasy owners are sure to be optimistic.

So why should you worry?

Denver was able to limit him to just four receptions for 53 yards. Everyone in the NFL has caught on to how the Patriots use him, and the Broncos gave a formula for slowing him down. 

He'll still get his fair share of looks, but we all know that Brady is going to hit the open receiver. While Gronkowski taking up defenders and "doing his job" is great for the Patriots, it is terrible for his fantasy owners.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger may not be an elite fantasy quarterback, but he is one of the better options at the position. 

Unfortunately for his owners, Roethlisberger may not be seeing the field for the rest of the season. "Big Ben" is suffering from an ankle injury that is clearly impacting the quality of his play. You can see how difficult it is for him to shift his weight and move in the pocket which is such a crucial part of his game. 

I would warn against starting Roethlisberger even if he was going to start for sure, but with the potential that he may rest until the postseason, I would recommend fantasy owners find alternative options.

Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace has quietly developed in to one of the best wide-out options in fantasy football.

He racks up tons of yards and has the explosiveness to score from any point on the field. Wallace has been Ben Roethlisberger's No. 1 target all year long, and fantasy owners have benefited from it.

The problem now is Big Ben's ankle. 

With the Steelers likely to rest Roethlisberger for the rest of the year, Wallace's numbers will suffer. Veteran Charlie Batch will take over in Pittsburgh, but fantasy owners should want no part of him. 

If you've been relying on Wallace's big play ability this year, you may want to look elsewhere for the rest of the season.

AJ Green

Bengals rookie wide receiver AJ Green has had a huge impact this year both in fantasy and real football.

Rookie wide-outs usually spell bad news for fantasy teams, but Green has been able to break that mold and become a productive fantasy player. He is easily Andy Dalton's favorite target and is the likely target in most scoring situations. 

The problem with Green has been his ability to stay healthy.

He hasn't had any real long-term injuries so far this year, but he has been knocked out of a few games. At this point in the season, that can be just as harmful for fantasy owners. 

You need every single point you can get come fantasy playoff time, so the risk of not getting a full game from one of your players is always a concern.

Eli Manning

Eli Manning, while not the most steady NFL quarterback, has been a great fantasy producer this year. 

The Giants are not afraid to let him sling the ball, and he manages to put up tons of yards along with finding the end zone at a solid clip. Like him or not, Manning has been reliable as a fantasy quarterback this year. 

Except for last week. 

Manning was completely shut down by the Washington Redskins, throwing for only 257 yards and three interceptions. The Redskins defense isn't horrible, but you wouldn't expect them to dominate like they did. 

So Eli owners must be wondering now, how he will frer against an elite pass defense like the New York Jets?

Things aren't looking up for the younger Manning brother, especially when he will be staring right at Revis Island all day long this weekend. 

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson is one of the premiere running backs in the NFL and in fantasy football.

He has put together another solid season even though he has missed three games due to an ankle injury. Last week against New Orleans was his return to the Vikings lineup, but he only carried the ball 10 times for 60 yards. While he was certainly running with a strong per carry average, the limited amount of carries is a concern.

The Vikings are not going anywhere this season. They have to worry about their long-term future, which Adrian Peterson is a crucial part of. It is very possible that he could be limited or rested at any sign of trouble. 

Fantasy owners may want Peterson out there pounding the ball 25 times against the Redskins this weekend. They should really be more worried that he stays on the field the entire game.

Marshawn Lynch

Marshawn Lynch doesn't get enough credit for how good he is simply because of where he plays. 

Lynch has been one of the more consistently productive running backs this year, especially during the second half of this year. Since Week 9, Lynch hasn't had one week where he dipped below 20 carries. In fact, he ran the ball an incredible 32 times against a tough Baltimore defense. 

Those are the kind of touches that fantasy football owners drool over.

However, Lynch runs in to the San Francisco 49ers defense this weekend. They are one of the elite run stopping defenses in the league and have no problem handling physical runners like Lynch. 

Lynch has certainly found success on tough run defenses before, but can he sustain the punishment he has taken over the past seven weeks? He may be one of the toughest backs in the league, but fantasy owners should be concerned with him keeping it up this weekend.

Reggie Bush

Reggie Bush certainly wasn't a fantasy stud to start the season, but out of nowhere, he has become a yardage machine. 

Bush racked up 203 rushing yards against the Buffalo Bills this past weekend. He has put up six rushing touchdowns in the past seven weeks. He has been able to finally evolve in to the running back people expected him to be.

Reggie Bush will be facing off against the New England Patriots this year. While the Patriots defense isn't really anything to be scared of, the Dolphins will most likely be playing from behind quickly in this one.

Tom Brady almost broke the record for most passing yards in one game in their first meeting this season, and we all know that Belichick will not slow up even if they have a big lead.

Bush will certainly put up some numbers, but his owners need to remember that he will get the ball less and less as the Patriots' lead grows.

Victor Cruz

Victor Cruz has been a huge surprise for fantasy owners this season.

He has made his stake for targets from Giants quarterback Eli Manning with his excellent play all season long. Cruz's emergence in the Giants passing game has created problems for opposing defenses all year long. 

However, like Eli Manning, Cruz may come upon hard times this weekend. He'll be facing off against the New York Jets, who have one of the toughest passing defenses in the league. 

With Manning's struggles against the Washington Redskins last week, fantasy owners can't be optimistic about their chances against the Jets. Cruz will still get looks, but he may be blanketed by white and green all day long.

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates has been an elite tight end option for several years. 

However, quarterback Philip Rivers' struggles this year have led to a downturn in his production, and rumors that Gates is either hurt or out of shape haven't instilled a ton of confidence in his fantasy owners.

His production has improved, as the Chargers are turning around their season late in the year. 

Even with a great performance by the Chargers against the Baltimore Ravens last week, Gates was limited to just two catches for 31 yards. 

The Chargers will face off against the Detroit Lions this week. It will be hard to predict which Antonio Gates will show up this week. His fantasy owners will be praying to the fantasy football gods that it is the Pro-Bowl version.

Miles Austin

Another fantasy option that has been incredibly inconsistent this year. 

Miles Austin has had two injuries this year that have kept him off the field for multiple weeks. He started the season on fire for the first two games of the year and then was out the next three weeks. When Austin returned Week 6, he disappeared for the next four games.

Austin battled another injury before returning Week 14. He has caught a touchdown in each of the past two games heading in to the Cowboys' Week 16 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Austin owners should be optimistic with Tony Romo playing as well as he has of late. However, he also has three other reliable options he can turn to in the passing game. The Eagles secondary hasn't lived up to expectations this year, but their play has been improving.

Even if Romo keeps up his level of play, Austin owners should be concerned that he will get enough looks. 

DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson may have lost his status as a "fantasy stud" after this year of inconsistent play, but he is sure to be considered by many to be a viable fantasy option.

It is likely that if you own Jackson, you expected him to be much more than a No. 3 wide-out on your team. 

Jackson is battling injuries heading in to Week 16 and faces a tough matchup in the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have been playing incredibly well of late, and this is sure to be one of the highlight games of the week. 

With the Eagles play improving as well, many Jackson owners are hoping that he can return to his 2010 form. While it is nice to dream, fantasy owners should temper their expectations of Jackson this week. 

Willis McGahee

Willis McGahee has quietly put together a great season in Denver considering all of the quarterback turmoil and hype that took place with Tim Tebow taking over as the starter.

McGahee found success early with Kyle Orton as the starter and didn't slow up once Tebow took the helm. He hasn't been scoring a ton of touchdowns, but he is on the brink of eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. 

Things were looking up for McGahee owners until last week, when he started hot against the New England Patriots rushing for 70 yards on just seven carries. Then, he disappeared with what was reported as an injury.

Head coach John Fox said after the game that McGahee's absence wasn't due to an injury, but rather, a "change in strategy."

McGahee owners need to know that he is going to be get the touches if they are going to roll with him during playoff time. We know for sure that they won't be able to afford any "changes in strategy" during the final games of their fantasy football season.