Leaving on a cart in the second quarter, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned at halftime to lead the Packers to a come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bears.
Throwing all three of his scores in the fourth quarter, Rodgers completed 20-of-30 pass attempts for 286 yards to finish with nearly 25 fantasy points (24.94).
Although he returned in the second half, it's not clear yet whether he'll be available for the Week 2 matchup against the Vikings at Lambeau Field.
Mike McCarthy on Aaron Rodgers' status this week: "We're still collecting all the information on his specific situation. I know Aaron wants to play and is always driven to play but that's all I have right now."— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 10, 2018
Assuming that Rodgers is ready to go in Week 2, he doesn't have the best matchup against the Vikings, but he's a must-start any time he's on the field.
More notes heading into Week 2:
- New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 439 yards and three touchdowns as the team put up 40 points against the Bucs. The only quarterback to score more fantasy points than Brees in Week 1 was his opponent, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw for 417 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. Things could be much more difficult for Fitzpatrick in Week 2 against the Eagles, but Brees is my top-ranked quarterback this week.
- In his return to regular-season action, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw a week-high 53 pass attempts against the Bengals. Luck finished the game with 319 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns as he scored 21.28 fantasy points (eighth most in Week 1). Against the elite Jacksonville defense in the playoffs last year, Brady threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Including three playoff games, the Jags allowed only three games of 250/2 over their past 20 games. If you own Brady, you're unlikely to sit him, but I have the GOAT ranked just outside my top-12 weekly quarterbacks.
- While he threw for only 197 yards and a touchdowns, Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor scored the sixth-most fantasy points in Week 1. Thanks to his dual-threat abilities, Taylor rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown. In other words, he generated 13.7 fantasy points from his rushing stats alone. One of the biggest underdogs of the week, the Browns could be forced to threw early and often. Listed on my Week 2 waiver-wire column, Taylor (still available in three-quarters of leagues) is a viable start in Week 2 against the Saints.
- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a week to forget. Despite throwing for 335 yards, Big Ben threw four interceptions and only one touchdown against the Browns. Well-known for his home-road splits, Roethlisberger returns home to face a generous Chiefs defense that should allow him to bounce back in a big way.
- Outside of the Saints-Bucs game, second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the only other quarterback to throw four touchdowns in Week 1. With a talented quad of weapons (Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt and Sammy Watkins), Mahomes is poised for a breakout season and another strong week.
- Technically, Mahomes was out-dueled by the quarterback on the other sideline. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns against a porous Chiefs secondary in the loss. Facing a Bills team that is a unanimous 32nd (last) in our consensus NFL power rankings, it's possible that the Bolts take their foot off the gas early against a terrible Bills team.
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