Aaron Jones (knee) back at practice on Thursday

Dallas and starting RB Aaron Jones (knee) both practiced in full on Friday. Jones will handle the majority of the backfield’s touches while Dallas takes a few carries and plays some on passing downs.

Jones, 33, sat out on Wednesday before returning to practice on Thursday. He tweaked his knee in Week 2, but it is not going to sideline him this week. Vikings receiving specialist RB DeeJay Dallas will rotate in behind him, but is unlikely to warrant PPR FLEX consideration. Rookie RB Demond Claiborne is only a bench stash. Jones can be treated as a low-end RB2/FLEX.

Dallas should be fine by the time Sunday rolls around, but it’s worth noting given how thin the Vikings are at running back. Jordan Mason is on injured reserve and Aaron Jones came out of Week 2 with a knee injury. He did not practice today and his Week 3 availability is very much in question. Dallas and Demond Claiborne will split the Minnesota backfield if Jones is out. The toe injury could force Kevin O’Connell to give Claiborne a few more touches this week.

Jones tweaked his knee in the Vikings’ Week 2 win over the Bears. He ultimately played through the issue during the second half and racked up 23 carries for 105 yards. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said he was “pretty sore” after the game. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added today that Jones playing in Week 3 is “not a sure thing.” Jones simply can’t handle that large of a workload at this point in his career, and the team will likely get DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne more involved this week, even if Jones is able to suit up. If he can’t, those two backs will likely split the backfield.

He also said he will “be talking about options at running back.” The subtext here is that Jones can’t handle 23-carry workloads in his age-32 season. DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne are their backups on the roster with Jordan Mason on injured reserve. Dallas was just signed earlier this month. Claiborne is “not yet ready to carry the load” per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. We expect reporting to reveal the second main member of this committee at some point this week, and there’s a chance that said player is in the flex conversation against the Buccaneers in Week 3.

Jones was not targeted in the passing game. Jones was also announced with a knee injury in the second half, but played through the issue to earn his first 100-yard rushing effort since 2024. It was a much, much needed outing with Jordan Mason on injured reserve and the Vikings trying to grind out a rainy victory in Chicago. It’s possible Jones could need further testing this week, but the fact that he finished the game obviously suggests he will be on the right side of questionable for Week 3 against the Bucs. With neither DeeJay Dallas nor Demond Claiborne making an impact vs. the Bears, Jones will be a safe RB2 if he can get out there next Sunday.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Claiborne and RB DeeJay Dallas will also be “part of the group” that backs up starting RB Aaron Jones with RB Jordan Mason (thumb) on injured reserve. Dallas was active last week, while the team kept Claiborne, the rookie, inactive, so it stands to reason that Dallas could play more snaps than Claiborne. That said, some beat reporters viewed Claiborne favorably this summer. He can be stashed on benches in 12-team leagues to see how things shake out.

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.

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.

Claiborne was slated for RB3 duties after making the Vikings’ final roster over Zavier Scott, but he’ll have to wait at least one more week. He is not worth holding, even in deep fantasy formats.