Fantasy Football Rankings Post Jordy Nelson’s ACL Tear
By Hayden Winks
Preseason fantasy football rankings can change drastically. Things certainly have been mixed after news broke that Jordy Nelson is likely to miss the entire 2015 NFL season with a torn ACL. I can’t say I’m that surprised. This is what I wrote in the draft guide before his injury, “Jordy is quietly 30 years old and he is coming off of hip surgery. He has some red flags but deserves to be in the elite WR1 list regardless. His connection with Rodgers is the best in the NFL. He is a risky pick because of his injury concern, so cuff with Adams.” But what exactly does that mean for the Green Bay Packers fantasy outlook?
Nothing much should change with Aaron Rodgers. He is so gifted that he can make average wide receivers look great. His stats right take a slight dip, but the Packers were 24th in offensive plays last year so he is still likely to improve on last seasons stats. Eddie Lacy will likely be asked to carry the ball a few more times but won’t be largely effected by Jordy Nelson’s injury.
Randall Cobb gets a boast up the rankings. He will see at least 150 targets now and is the number one receiver for the best quarterback in the NFL. He has a chance to be a top three fantasy football wide receiver. Jeff Janis also gets a boast up the rankings as he will take over as the third wide receiver in the offense. Davante Adams saw 76 targets in that role last year. Janis has respectable size and speed. He is a WR5/6 for now but keep an eye out for him.
The biggest fantasy football “winner” from Jordy Nelson going down is Davante Adams. He was already a WR3/4 with upside because the Packers run tons of three wide receiver sets. His targets began to increase in the playoffs and has the skill set to be a fantasy football difference maker. Now he immediately is a WR2 with upside. Randall Cobb saw 131 targets last year as Aaron Roger’s second favorite target. Adams will match that mark.
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