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Packers-Bears Preview: Bench Aaron Rodgers?


It's finally upon us. Like, just HOURS away. The NFL season is finally back.


Not only is it happening, but it's happening in big-time fashion. What do we get as the first course of the 16-course Week-1 meal?

Packers. Bears. Primetime.

How's THAT for a kickoff to the NFL's 100th anniversary season?

Not bad ... not bad at all.

It was this very same matchup that kicked off last year, with Aaron Rodgers returning from a knee injury to erase a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit by throwing three TDs to stun the Bears.

Err, that should've read "with incredibly drugged-up Aaron Rodgers" ... I mean, come on, how awesome was that postgame interview?

Obviously, the typical sports cliches apply here: It's a different team, it's a new season, yada, yada, yada.

Yeah, those are all true, so let's get into some stuff that people actually give a crap about.

Bears

DAVID MONTGOMERY! That's every Bears fan. Just straight yelling about how amazing this rookie running back is going to be. Hell, they even traded Jordan Howard to give him the path to playing time. So, yeah, the Bears front office seems to like him. But, Tarik Cohen still looms -- especially on the passing downs.
Will rookie running back David Montgomery be able to live up to the hype
of all the Bears fans and fantasy analysts?
With Cohen already being a proven pass-catcher, the Bears KNOW what they have in him -- and trust is a big thing when it comes to third down. It seems almost assured that Montgomery's value, especially in PPR, will take at least a little bit of a hit. How much of a hit? To be determined. 

The Bears are favored in tonight's game, which generally leads to favorable game scripts for the running backs. If you're of the belief the Bears will, in fact, win this game and be leading most of the way, the play is to roll with Montgomery, just know you're unlikely to get any of the much-valued points from catches. 

Packers  

Thank jebus! Mike McCarthy's vanilla play-calling and horrendous coaching are long gone, which means ... Aaron Rodgers is going to have full control over the offense again and the Packers will score 50 points a game, right? 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, big guy. Let's not go wild. While McCarthy's departure should provide some sort of upgrade to the Packers offense, it's not like they're going to be scoring every other play like Big 12 teams do. Plenty of questions are still surround the offense, like, you know, "what does this offense even look like under Matt LaFleur?" 
After an amazing 2018 campaign, how will the Davante Adams and the 
Green Bay offense look with a new head coach calling the shots? 

They return virtually all of the same personnel from last year. The receiving corps is nearly identical with Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the starters, and Aaron Jones isn't suspended for four games, or hurt -- yet.

No doubt. This offense has a TON of upside, but we're still dealing with a Bears defense -- though likely going to stake a step back this year -- that is still one of the best in the league. 

Obviously, you're starting Davante Adams, but there are likely better options for your fantasy roster -- IN WEEK 1 -- than Rodgers and Jones this week. 

The Verdict

Start: Davante Adams, David Montgomery

Sit: Aaron Jones

Risky: Aaron Rodgers, Tarik Cohen, Mitchell Trubisky

If you're desperate: Adam Shaheen (but I mean REALLLLLY desperate)


-- Nathan Joyce
@nd_joyce
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