Fantasy Football: Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck?

Both the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts have top tier quarterbacks, but who is the best fantasy option? Add in a receiver from opposing teams and we’ve got a debate! Two sets of fantasy football players; who would you rather have? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. And check out more Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

Fantasy football season is upon us and the interwebbings are flooded with rankings, drafts, sleepers and busts. But that doesn’t get at the meat of fantasy decisions, the real deal choices you must master to win your league.

I’ll supply a hypothetical fantasy football trade and you tell me which side wins the deal. These deals are isolated from league settings or roster construction. They are strictly either-ors.

Would you rather have…

A) Aaron Rodgers and T.Y. Hilton
or
B) Andrew Luck and Randall Cobb

Isn’t this grand! We’re playing a bit of teammate swap here for this fantasy football trade. Which is the better quarterback/wide receiver tandem, Aaron Rodgers and Indianapolis’ top receiver or Andrew Luck with one of Rodgers’ favorite weapons?

Rodgers and Luck are without a doubt the top two quarterbacks in fantasy for this season and for possibly the next three or four after that as well. I don’t think Luck has quite reached Rodgers’ level in terms of pure QB play though, not yet at least.

But in this trade, Luck is getting the slightly better receiving threat in Randall Cobb. Although he may be the second-best guy on the Packers after Jordy Nelson, Cobb is a smidgen above Hilton as an all-around receiver (when healthy). Enough to want Luck over Rodgers?

I’m not sure I can even make a call on this hypothetical deal. I’d be perfectly happy letting you grab whichever side you prefer and giving me the leftover pair. I suppose Rodgers and Hilton are preferable, but the degree is ever so slight.

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Wow, pitting Aaron Rodgers against Andrew Luck is like the perfect Super Bowl, except neither of our teams are represented. In terms of fantasy, this gets really interesting with the additional wide receivers from opposite teams. I’m completely on the fence, so let’s see if last season’s numbers are any help.

Aaron Rodgers: 4381 yards passing and 38 TDs passing
T.Y. Hilton: 1345 yards and 7 TDs

Andrew Luck: 4761 yards passing and 40 TDs passing
Randall Cobb: 1287 yards and 12 TDs

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Let’s discuss the injury concerns first. Cobb has missed some significant time in his career, but when he’s on the field he has dominated the wide receiver position. Last season was no exception, with double digit touchdowns and a ton of yards. Hilton has only missed one game in his entire career and has produced a ton of yards, but his touchdown numbers are a step below.

Rodgers and Luck are much closer statistically than I would have guessed. I’d want Rodgers leading my real life football team over Luck this season, but Luck is the longterm answer at the position. In terms of fantasy football, both quarterbacks like to run and both have put up tremendous numbers in the passing game. The decision becomes whether you think the Colts will score more points than the Packers. Will Indianapolis need to throw and will Green Bay run the ball more often? Who will be more dominant?

My money is on the Colts dominating their division, but the Packers scoring more points overall. None of this logic actually leads to an answer. Time for my instincts to take over.

If we’re playing in a keeper fantasy football league, then Andrew Luck and Cobb are the obvious choice. Luck simply has more seasons left than Aaron Rodgers. Add in Cobb’s higher production and it closes the deal.

In traditional leagues without keepers I’m still grabbing Luck and Cobb. I’d love to trust T.Y. Hilton to dominate again this season, but Cobb feels more like a sure thing in Green Bay. Add in the fact that Luck seems to only be getting better, having topped Rodgers passing numbers last season, and I’m sold. There are no losers here, but Luck and Cobb win the debate.

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