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When Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers went down with a broken collarbone in Week 9, WR Jordy Nelson’s fantasy football value took a huge hit. He was drafted to be a top-15 fantasy wideout, but he ended up having a disastrous season without Rodgers under center.
Some fantasy owners may be hesitant to draft the veteran wideout after his poor showing down the stretch last year, but there are several signs that he will rebounds in 2014.
In the eight games without A-Rod, Nelson only caught one touchdown pass and averaged a meager 63 receiving yards. Conversely, Nelson averaged 101.3 yards in the eight games with his All-Pro quarterback and caught seven touchdown passes. Rodgers will return completely healthy next season, so fantasy fans can expect the duo to once again become one of the most dangerous tandems in the game.
Additionally, NFL Free Agency opens up March 11th and the Cheeseheads have some big players potentially hitting the market, mainly WR James Jones. Recent reports from the wideout’s agent claim that the team doesn’t plan on having him return for the 2014 season.
The absence of James on the outside will force Rodgers to lean much more on Nelson to move the chains. The former Kansas State standout will see a serious uptick in targets and will once again be a reliable WR1 to plug on a weekly basis. Without James cutting into his production, Nelson should easily haul in over 10 touchdowns this season and reclaim his spot as Rodger’s favorite red-zone target.
Nelson will be a top-10 fantasy receiver next season with a healthy Rodgers under center and the wideout should be drafted as such in every format.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
