He is back. On Tuesday night, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers announced on Twitter he received clearance from the team's medical staff and will return to the field in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers. Given how much is at stake for Green Bay, Rodgers' return to action serves as a monumental boost.
Rodgers returns to the lineup against the Carolina Panthers, a matchup that will carry significant weight. Green Bay already found itself in a "win out" scenario just to have a shot at the playoffs, the fact that his first game back comes against another NFC wild card foe adds to the magnitude of the matchup.
We haven't seen Rodgers on the field since he fractured his collarbone on Oct. 15 against the Minnesota Vikings. His early exit from that game played a major role in the team's 23-10 loss and the team posted a 3-5 record in his absence.
The 34-year-old shined through much of the early season with 13 passing touchdowns to three interceptions and a 103.2 quarterback rating. This also came at a time when Green Bay's running game couldn't consistently establish itself, now they have a strong back in Jamaal Williams who can carry the rock and provide a physical runner, while Aaron Jones offers a little lightning to the team's running game.
If Rodgers is still available in your fantasy leagues, rush to your waiver wire and pick him up. While he missed significant time and this will be his first live action in two months, he is the game's most talented quarterback and there were a flurry of positive reports out of camp in the past two weeks about his arm strength and touch being right where it used to be.
His matchup against a Panthers' defense that allowed the third-most passing yards per game over the past four weeks and the second-most passing touchdowns, demonstrates this is a quality matchup for him to take advantage of.
Rodgers' return also elevates the fantasy stock of Jordy Nelson, who became an afterthought in the fantasy world with Brett Hundley behind center. Rodgers return to the lineup pushes Nelson back into the top-20 ranks at his position after nearly six weeks of being outside the top-35 wide receivers in most weeks.