Aaron Rodgers has done plenty of good in the fantasy football world over his Hall of Fame career, and we now know that he’s returning for another season with the Black and Gold in Pittsburgh. His name holds weight, and this was a playoff team a year ago, but the days of video game numbers are very much a thing of the past, making this more of an “NFL” story than a fantasy one.
Fantasy Football Impact: Aaron Rodgers Returns to Pittsburgh
Why You Shouldn’t Draft Rodgers as a QB1 in 2026
During his prime years, Rodgers was an elite quarterback who could carry your fantasy team to the playoffs and maybe more. But in reality, that’s no longer the case.
You shouldn’t go all out on drafting Rodgers, regardless of the format of your league. His best days are well behind him, and at the very best, he can be an average QB2 across all fantasy formats in specific matchups: that’s a lineup stream, not a lineup staple.
The numbers don’t lie. Sure, Rodgers had a decent season for a 42-year-old quarterback, as he went 10-6 in the regular season while completing 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards with a 24:7 TD:INT.
But when you compare Rodgers to others at the position in this era, we can see he didn’t stand out in any particular category. He ranked 13th in touchdown passes, 15th in passing yards, 16th in TD%, 16th in completion percentage, and 27th in QBR. Not good, especially when analyzing those numbers for our purposes in a world where counting stats and volume are the lifeblood of success.
Essentially, we’re looking at a QB2 who shouldn’t be anything more than a backup in standard fantasy leagues and a low-end Superflex option at best. If you decide to wait on addressing the position this summer, aiming to build a solid foundation at the flex position instead, you could find yourself drafting two QBs for one spot and thus venturing into this general tier.
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Quarterbacks With More Upside Than Rodgers in the Late Rounds
Rodgers checks in as a bottom-10 signal-caller in our ranks, not draftable in most spots and certainly not a priority.
Some names ahead of Rodgers in the rankings include Justin Fields, under the premise that he could get some run during the Patrick Mahomes recovery, and Bryce Young, with the hope that the best is yet to come from the young Panther. That’s the level he’s at right now, which is a far cry from the elite quarterback he was during his prime.
If you want to roll the dice on other options at quarterback, Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans), Malik Willis (Miami Dolphins), Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints), and even Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) all offer more upside if you’re looking for a competent second quarterback who can be a decent matchup-based alternative.
Even the teams where there are undecided QB situations, like the Minnesota Vikings or the Atlanta Falcons, might offer more upside than Rodgers right now. And that’s for one simple reason: The Steelers don’t project to be a reliable, and certainly not explosive, offense in 2026.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 Offensive Projections
Rodgers’ return to the Steelers reunites him with head coach Mike McCarthy. Both spent 13 years together in Green Bay, with Rodgers winning two of his four NFL MVPs under his guidance. However, it’s hard to imagine McCarthy doing a lot to turn things around in a Steelers offense that was boring for our purposes a year ago and hasn’t posted a top-10 PFSN Offensive Impact grade since 2018.
The Steelers ranked 25th in total yards per game (305.6), 22nd in passing yards per game (202.4), and 15th in points per game (23.4) in 2025. In other words, they were average on a good day and below-average most of the time. That isn’t going to change with Rodgers being one year older, even if he somehow rediscovers some of his old form by being reunited with McCarthy, which is also unlikely at best.
The Steelers have DK Metcalf (59 catches, 850 yards, 6 TDs) as their WR1, but the rest of the options aren’t sexy, even if Michael Pittman (80 catches, 784 yards, career-high 7 TDs) has some upside as he joins from the Colts.
Jaylen Warren should carry a big workload in the running game if he stays healthy, and Pat Freiermuth (41 catches, 486 yards, 4 TDs) will be a decent red-zone target, but that’s about it. With limited options who could be considered worthy fantasy contributors, it’s hard to see Rodgers being very good in 2026.
At the end of the day, fantasy football is a numbers game, and we all know Father Time remains undefeated. Rodgers is simply not good enough to be considered a realistic fantasy starter, and even if his return to Pittsburgh becomes a reality, you should definitely look at other options to anchor your fantasy roster at the QB position.
