NFL Notebook, Week 5: Christian McCaffrey's greatness, coaching carousel, weekly awards

NFL Notebook, Week 5: Christian McCaffrey’s greatness, coaching carousel, weekly awards

By Zach Cohen | Oct 9, 2019

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 06: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers jumps over Tre Herndon #37 of the Jacksonville Jaguars for a touchdown during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 26: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers hands the ball off to Aaron Jones #33 in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field on September 26, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Fixture

As the season rolls on, it’s only appropriate that every week I discuss a little about America’s new favorite past-time: Fantasy Football.

The Packers are rolling, and a huge reason is because of two guys named Aaron.

Looking at their fantasy stats (in ESPN PPR leagues), Aaron Rodgers is only 19th out of all quarterbacks in fantasy points, whereas Aaron Jones is fourth among running backs. What makes this interesting is that Rodgers or Jones has been responsible for every Green Bay touchdown this season. However, both have never contributed together for a score; Rodgers hasn’t thrown a touchdown to Jones.

This brings me to a big point in that effective players on the field might not always be effective fantasy options. My favorite example of this is former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount.

The bruising power-back was a one-trick pony, yet had his moments to shine in fantasy football. For example, with the Lions last year, Blount had two games where he scored twice. One of those games came against the Packers when Blount ran for only 22 yards.

No one expected Blount to ever be a LaDanian Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson, but Blount’s fantasy value was bloated at times due to his goal-line potential. This reminds me of the Aarons. Rodgers is obviously more important to the team, yet he hasn’t blossomed as a fantasy star this season. A player’s fantasy stats tell a lot, but they never paint the full picture.

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