Richard Rodgers (TE, GB) - 2015 Fantasy Football Sleeper

BALLER MOVE:  Target In Last Rounds or as Waiver Pickup

CURRENT ADP: Overall #298 / TE #29

ANALYSIS: I was pretty bummed when Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL. He is a fantastically productive receiver that was Aaron Rodgers's favorite red zone target. With a QB as talented as Rodgers though, nearly all of the production is likely to get absorbed by other receivers. Davante Adams and Jeff Janis are receiving most of the hype so very little attention is going to another potential benefactor, tight end Richard Rodgers.

The second-year tight end saw a decent amount of playing time last year as the second tight end behind Andrew Quarless. Rodgers started to get some attention in the offense down the stretch, receiving more targets than Quarless over the final seven games including playoffs. It’s not just that he saw more targets, but he was also more efficient, recording a better catch rate and getting two touchdowns to Quarless’ one during that span.

Rodgers is expected to be the top tight end this year and could actually cut into some of Adams' targets. Adams was incredibly inefficient down the stretch. In the second half, and during the playoffs, Davante Adams recorded an abysmal 51.2% catch rate. That was lower than any other Packers WR or TE that saw at least 10 targets during that span by 14%.

Meanwhile Richard Rodgers' catch rate was 75%. Aaron Rodgers took notice and even prior to the Jordy injury, he had talked up the tight end as a red zone threat. In one of the best offenses in the game, I’d rather spend a late round pick on this guy than watch him become a TE1 for another team. Davante Adams and Jeff Janis may still get most of Jordy’s targets, but in the red zone don’t be shocked if it’s Richard Rodgers grabbing the touchdowns.