Aaron Rodgers injury: What status means for Week 12 vs. Bears

The 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers head to Chicago to take on the 7-3 Bears as 2.5-point underdogs. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a fractured wrist and is questionable to play. You probably already know the history between Rodgers and the Bears. When he was with the Packers he always played Chicago extremely well, putting up a 25-5 record against them, while also putting up fantasy stats most of the time.

Rodgers hasn’t faced the Bears since 2022, after he left the Packers for the Jets. At the ripe old age of 41, Rodgers is not longer the player he once was, but he has managed the Steelers to a winning record. If he can’t go, Mason Rudolph would get the start in his place.

Rodgers suffered a fracture in his non-throwing hand last week against the Bengals and was forced from the game. He then missed practice on Wednesday, but was able to get in limited practices on Thursday and Friday with his hand/wrist wrapped. He ended up officially questionable. As long as he can protect himself, he will be out there against his old rivals, but at this point there hasn’t been any definitive reporting on if he’ll play or not.

The Bears are without multiple starting defensive backs and linebackers this week, making the matchup especially juicy for any passing offense, even the Steelers. Rodgers has had a couple strong fantasy days, but mostly he’s been unstartable in 12-team, 1QB leagues. Against the Bears, if he does play, he has 2QB league appeal, but risking him aggravating the injury makes it very tough to start him in 1QB leagues.

If Mason Rudolph gets the start, he has a similar outlook, but probably has a lower floor and higher ceiling. He’s more willing to throw deep and try to extend plays due to him not being super old like Rodgers. I could see rolling Rudolph out in DFS GPPs, but he’d still be a no-go for me in single QB leagues.