Jordy Nelson Has the Power to Alter the Entire Fantasy Football Season

Can you feel it? Football Season is upon us. Preseason is a time to check out each player, looking for improvements and changes, and it’s a time for Fantasy Football players and owners to start composing their teams. Fantasy players will look for the best and brightest (or, at least players that can simply beat out others) to fill each spot on their hypothetical roster, often coming up with back ups in case they loose to another Fantasy member in the draft.

Sometimes, it’s good to have a back up in case injuries happen to key players in the preseason; much like it did today. In game two of the preseason, the Green Bay Packers were pitted against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jordy Nelson appeared to have suffered a very serious injury. It was early on in the game and during his second catch when Nelson went down without being touched. The first reports out speculated that he tore his ACL which would take him out for the season; a huge blow to the Packers team.

CBS Sports notes that Nelson has averaged 92 catches, 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns from 2013-2015 and has been favored heavily by Aaron Rodgers for the past 4 years. Nelson was slated in the Top 10 Fantasy receivers and was being picked within the first 20 picks of the league; picks, not rounds. This will be a huge blow, especially if you are a Fantasy league player that has already drafted him.

If Nelson does in fact have a torn ACL, what does that mean for Fantasy Football leaguers? What happens next? There are other options, of course. First of all, this will allow Aaron Rodgers to prove who is the better QB: Rodgers or Andrew Luck. It’ll also allow him to shine light on the other talent in the Pack’s Offense. With Nelson out of the Fantasy runnings, that elevates Davante Adams. Adams as a rookie last year had 38 catches for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even though that’s not a lot, he wasn’t the main attraction, Nelson was. Now that Nelson’s out, Adams moves up to a starter and will have a chance to prove himself. Fantasy leaguers will have him as a viable option for sure.

NFL.com also points out the merit of Jeff Janis, who will move into Adams’ number 2 spot. He’s described as having freakish athleticism and, of course, he’s a part of one of the best offenses in the league (the NFL, not necessarily the Fantasy Football League) which can only elevate him.

Don’t discount the running game, though. The Packers may decide to lean more heavily on running back Eddie Lacy so Fantasy owners might switch their focus along with that and pick him up.

Nelson is not the only player in the NFL with the power to change near every team in the Fantasy Football league, but he does have that power. It’ll be interesting to see how both the Green Bay Packers and the FFL move things around to accommodate his potential loss.

[Photo credit to Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

Update on Jordy Nelson from the Green Bay Packers:

“It was determined that WR Jordy Nelson sustained a significant right knee injury in yesterday’s game at Pittsburgh. He will miss the remainder of the season.”