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    Jones scores in Week 1 win over Packers

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    MIN Running Back #33
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    Aaron Jones rushed 12 times for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ Week 1 win over the Packers.

    Jordan Mason saw three more carries and also scored. Jones was only targeted once, but that was one more time than Mason, at least. Both backs logged nine routes. Jones is ultimately the lesser half of the committee, but he should see the ball enough to hang around the back of the RB3 ranks in Week 2.
Cook gives Bills' offense the ‘balance they need’
PFT highlights James Cook's critical role in the Bills offense alongside Josh Allen, where he offers "electricity" out of the backfield that balances Buffalo's offensive attack.

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  • MIN Running Back #27
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    That escalated quickly. On Monday, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Mason’s “sore thumb” was being evaluated. Apparently, it had sustained a small fracture, which has now been “fixed,” ostensibly surgically, given O’Connell’s phrasing. Short-term injured reserve placement requires players to miss four games, but the Vikings are on bye in Week 6, so Mason will be eligible to return in Week 7. Mason led the backfield with 15 carries in Week 1, so his absence provides RB Aaron Jones with a touch-count boost. Veteran RB DeeJay Dallas operated as the RB3. Rookie RB Demond Claiborne was inactive last week, but should be active in Week 2 against the Lions. Speculatively stashing him could be worthwhile.
  • MIN Running Back #27
    Mason stands 5'11 and his weight is listed between 223-230 pounds depending on the source. He hits the latter figure on the Vikings’ website. That’s fairly hefty for a running back. The Vikings’ starter, RB Aaron Jones, is 31 years old and took a pay cut to stay with the team this offseason. Mason, 27, might have a chance to challenge for the primary rushing role this year, though Jones will likely remain the primary player on passing downs.
  • MIN Running Back
    Lewis believes that “in the long haul, the Vikings project a potentially game-breaking role.” Thus far, Claiborne’s new teammates have taken to addressing him by his childhood nickname, “Lightning.” And, Lewis, in an admittedly over-the-top manner, describes Claiborne’s lateral movements as “the closest thing you’ll find to real-life teleportation.” Hyperbole aside, beat reporters do not always take the time to write features on sixth-round rookies. Given Lewis’ short-term stipulations, it sounds as though Claiborne might be given the chance to compete for a role in the passing game this summer. Starting RB Aaron Jones is entering his age-31 season, and RB Jordan Mason, 27, is a one-dimensional rusher. The two veterans are ahead of Claiborne on the depth chart, no doubt, but this is not an elite one-two punch. Keep an eye on Claiborne this summer.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    The running back takes a pay cut to a base salary of $5.5 million. This move quashes the fantasy value of Jordan Mason, who was looking like he’d head the committee in 2026 by a wide margin. Mason still may wind up leading the Vikings in carries given how often Jones gets hurt, but Jones will probably see at least half the snaps here after agreeing to stay. Jones is more of a high-end RB3 at this stage of his career, as entering his age-32 season he’s started to leave a concerning number of games with injuries and spent time on injured reserve last year.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    The Vikings have a lot of cap space to create and this was always the likely move based on that calculus. Jones probably won’t attract much interest on the trade market as he enters his age-32 season and has started to leave a concerning number of games with injuries, in addition to being placed on IR for a short stint early in the 2025 season. He’d likely only have head-of-committee ceiling heading into the 2026 offseason. Schefter added that the same trade-or-release ultimatum exists for DT Javon Hargrave.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    Facing defensive backups for the Packers, Jordan Mason will likely get a starter’s workload in the Minnesota backfield with Jones sidelined. JJ McCarthy, dealing with a hand injury, will start the regular season’s final game. Look for Justin Jefferson to be peppered with targets as QB-WR combo try to get on the same page ahead of an uncertain offseason for McCarthy.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    Jones finishes the year with a 548/2 rushing line on 132 carries, adding 28/199/1 through the air in 12 starts. Jones plays hurt often, and with Jordan Mason in tow this year, the Vikings were more proactive about sending him to IR. Jones enters his age-32 season on the final year of a two-year, $20 million deal with a $14 million cap figure. He figures to either be asked to restructure that deal or be released with the Vikings currently $36.4 million over the cap for 2026 per Over The Cap.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    Jones has played through myriad injuries this season, so even with two absences, he still has a chance to play. That said, it would make sense for the Vikings to shut him down. Jones is 31 years old and remains under contract in 2026. His backup, RB Jordan Mason (ankle), upgraded to full participation today. He would start in Jones’ stead if the veteran player cannot go.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    Jones played through an ankle injury last week despite the Vikings having nothing left to play for. He could do so again in Week 18, though it’s just as likely that he finally takes a week off. In addition to the ankle and hip injuries, Jones has been on the practice report with shoulder, toe, and hamstring issues this year. He has more than earned a week of rest to close the season. If that does happen, Jordan Mason would be in line for a larger role.
  • MIN Running Back #33
    Jones plunged in from a yard out to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter. He was clearly the top option in the Minnesota offense, with Ty Chandler chiming in for 24 yards on his seven carries and Jordan Mason unavailable due to injury. Jones should be considered an RB2 for the finale against the Packers in Week 18.

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  • LA Defensive Tackle #99
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Aaron Donald “hopes” to play in Week 2 against the Giants.

    Donald was reportedly close to being ready for the Rams’ season opener in Australia, but now the future Hall of Famer hopes to return in the Rams’ official home opener on Monday Night Football against the Giants. While Donald playing in Week 2 is still not a sure thing, he logged a full practice Thursday, which is a good sign with one practice still to go this week.
  • CIN Quarterback #9
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Bengals expect Joe Burrow (back tightness) to play in Week 2 against the Texans.

    Burrow has been limited in each of the team’s first two practices, likely because the Bengals are exercising caution with their QB1. With one more practice to go before the Bengals release their final injury report, it sounds like there is no real concern about Burrow’s availability for Week 2 against a Texans defense looking to rebound from a tough season opener in which they allowed 36 points to the Bills. We will be sure to provide a final status for Burrow once the team announces it.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #2
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports DJ Moore (shoulder) is “not a lock” to play in Week 3 against the Chargers.

    This is already shaping up to be an injury that will be monitored throughout all of next week. Moore is believed to have suffered an AC joint sprain in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions, and while the injury isn’t considered serious, sources familiar with the situation haven’t ruled out the possibility that he’ll miss at least one game. Moore was held without a catch on Thursday after catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Moore’s absence could open the door for Keon Coleman to see more work. Coleman played on 55 snaps against the Lions after playing on just 29 in Week 1, and caught all six of his targets for 63 yards.
  • BUF Tight End #88
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    Dawson Knox caught both targets for five yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Knox cashed in on a touchdown grab from one yard out in the second quarter for his first score of the season. While his snaps should remain high in an offense that rotates pass-catchers at an elevated rate, his primary contribution remains his blocking prowess. He remains a player unlikely to contribute meaningful counting stats on a weekly basis and is best left on the waiver wire.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #10
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    Khalil Shakir caught 3-of-6 targets for 38 yards in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Shakir continued in a gadgety role for the Bills, primarily working the short areas of the field in addition to receiving snaps out of the backfield. That could change in the immediate future after lead receiver DJ Moore departed in the second quarter with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury. Even so, Shakir is best left on the waiver wire in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #0
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    Keon Coleman caught all six targets for 63 yards in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Coleman could be a hot name on the waiver wire following Week 2 after DJ Moore departed with what appeared to be a significant shoulder injury in the first half. The third-year veteran continues to tease at untapped upside in this high-powered offense but has yet to fully break through for consistent production. Maybe that changes now as his role potentially grows without Moore. It will also be interesting to see how, if at all, his route tree changes in the absence of Moore, particularly considering the team has Joshua Palmer to operate as the field-stretching, Z-type receiver, the latter of whom caught his only target for a 43-yard touchdown on a broken coverage against the Lions. Coleman is a speculative waiver addition ahead of a much more forgiving matchup against the Jets in Week 3.
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    Dalton Kincaid caught 7-of-8 targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions.

    Kincaid truly did it all in this one, routinely in the middle of the blocking scrum on long James Cook runs in addition to his work through the air. His 95 yards handily paced the team, with his first touchdown of the young season coming from 16 yards out near the end of the second quarter. Kincaid remains one of the most efficient pass-catchers in the league on a per-route basis and has worked his way into the upper echelon of fantasy assets at the position. He remains a locked-in TE1 when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3.
  • BUF Running Back #4
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    James Cook rushed 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions, adding four yards on one reception.

    Cook jumped out to a scorching start on the ground, reaching the century mark in rushing before the half. Still, fantasy managers were left scratching their head as they watched Josh Allen account for three touchdowns from inside the five, two on the ground and one through the air. It wasn’t until a 22-yard carry that was down at the one late in the fourth quarter that the team rewarded Cook with a short-yardage touchdown, finally allowing fantasy managers their first taste of sweet touchdown copium from their first-round draft pick on the young season. Cook is likely to remain busy when the Bills host the Jets in Week 3, where he will remain a locked-in RB1.
  • BUF Quarterback #17
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    Josh Allen completed 20-of-31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the Bills’ 41-31, Week 2 win over the Lions, adding 69 yard and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

    Was it ever a doubt that Super Josh would make an appearance in the franchise’s first game in their new stadium? To the utter dismay of James Cook fantasy managers, Allen accounted for three touchdowns from inside the five against the Lions, two with his legs and one with his arm, extending his NFL-record for games with multiple rushing touchdowns and multiple passing touchdowns to 10 in the process. The unquestioned overall QB1 in fantasy circles continues to prove the doubters wrong as the Bills surge to 2-0 atop the AFC ahead of a home meeting with the Chargers in Week 3. Allen remains a top-tier fantasy asset until pigs fly.
  • DET Wide Receiver #1
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    Jameson Williams caught 2-of-4 targets for 33 yards in the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Bills.

    Williams continues to be primarily utilized as a deep threat in the Detroit offense, which is not the development fantasy managers were expecting following offseason reports that his route tree would be expanded in the new year. The mounting injuries along the offensive line have limited Goff’s time in the pocket to the point where Williams rarely has enough time for his routes to develop, leading to the down production through two weeks. Whether either of those two variables changes in the immediate future remains to be seen, leaving us to treat Williams as nothing more than an upside WR3 in the interim. He will be a difficult start in Week 3 when the Lions host the Jets.