Aaron Rodgers Fantasy Football Outlook: Can He Be QB2 In Superflex?

Father Time comes for all of us at some point, but when it comes to all-time greats like Aaron Rodgers and his NFL career, the rocking chair can wait another year. While it doesn't looke like the prime years in Green Bay, Rodgers still has something left in the tank. Is it going to be enough for fantasy football production in 2026? Ian Hartitz breaks it down as part of his Pittsburgh Steelers Team Preview.

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Is Aaron Rodgers any good at football these days?

• QB1: Aaron Rodgers (QB30 in Fantasy Life ranks)
• QB2: Mason Rudolph
• QB3: Will Howard
• QB4: Drew Allar

On the one hand, the 42-year-old veteran does deserve credit for leading Pittsburgh to their best scoring offense rank (15th) in the post-Big Ben era. Rodgers remains capable of slinging the pill all over the field with the benefit of a clean pocket (and smelling salts); the problem is that the mobility is long gone, and the old man (understandably) isn't too keen on hanging onto the ball too long at the risk of taking hits.

This constant risk-averse mindset might be good for preserving Rodgers' health (and inflating receiving production from the team's running backs), but it's not exactly ideal for, you know, trying to field an overly explosive offense in the year 2026. Look no further than the Steelers' putrid season-ending performance against the Texans, which produced the single-worst playoff performance by a QB in EPA per dropback (-0.71) of the last 25 years.

Now, Rodgers has been played through a LOT of injuries since leaving the Packers, most recently dealing with multiple fractures in his non-throwing wrist. Maybe we could see one last bounceback campaign now that he's reunited with McCarthy and has a bit more firepower inside a wide receiver room that was trotting out Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen in key moments down the stretch of last season.

But I wouldn't bet on it. Expecting a soon-to-be 43-year-old, immobile man feels like wishful thinking, and it's not like the Rodgers-McCarthy marriage was going that great by their final years together. If you want a late-round third QB for a best ball or superflex squad, fine, but don't expect any real upside here: Rodgers hasn't posted a top-5 weekly fantasy finish since leaving Green Bay.

Also note: It looks like former Ohio State national champion Will Howard is the next man up behind Rodgers. The 2025 sixth-round pick does possess enough mobility to perhaps offer some fantasy-friendly rushing upside, but it'd also be tough to expect the longest leash in the world with longtime friend Mason Rudolph and 2026 third-rounder Drew Allar also in this QB room. None project as particularly enticing dynasty stashes—Allar probably deserves the nod based on the fact he was once considered a candidate for top-5 treatment in the 2026 NFL Draft, although the former five-star simply never got much of anything going in Penn State's big games over the years. Sure, having first-round-worthy tools is nice, but watching Allar takes me back to the Billy Beane Moneyball quote: If he's a good quarterback, why doesn't he quarterback good?

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