Aaron

Jones

Jones was held out of last Wednesday’s practice entirely and still suited up. He should have no issues playing in Week 11. In Week 10, Jones led the Vikings with nine carries, which he turned into 47 scoreless yards. Jordan Mason only saw four attempts. As the lead back of the team, Jones could work his way into the RB2 ranks for a Week 11 date with the Bears.

Jones found the end zone on the Vikings’ opening drive, but didn’t have a lot of chances to produce due in part to an offense that was unable to sustain drives. Jones saw nearly half of his rushing yards come on a 17-yard gain to start the third quarter, but that gain proved meaningless after J.J. McCarthy threw his second interception of the game three plays later. Jones’ nine carries were more than double that of Jordan Mason (4-25-0), and his six targets were tied for third most on the team. His volume will keep him in the RB2 conversation next week when the Vikings play host to the Bears.

Jones suffered an AC joint sprain at the end of Week 9’s victory over the Lions. The 30-year-old running back missed practice on Wednesday before getting in a pair of limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. Jones told reporters he was in a good spot on Friday and now it’s reported that he’s expected to play. He’s a borderline RB2 this week coming off totaling 98 yards a week ago.

Jones sat out on Wednesday before practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday. Knowing his Friday status would help one assess where he sits on the questionable spectrum, but today’s report has not yet been released. Were he to practice in full, he would seemingly have strong odds of suiting up this weekend. If active, he would carry re-injury risk, but could still be started as a borderline RB2/3.

He seems to be trending in the right direction for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. Minnesota has struggled to run the ball this year and Baltimore is playing with more physicality over their past few games while using Kyle Hamilton in the box more. Considering the risk of re-injury, we’d probably classify Jones as on the RB2/RB3 borderline if he is able to play on Sunday.

Jones suffered an AC joint sprain in Week 9. The injury is believed to be minor, but a DNP to open the week suggests it could sideline him for at least one game. As if things couldn’t get worse, Jones is also dealing with a toe injury, though it doesn’t sound like that would be the reason for him to miss Week 10. If he is ruled out, Jordan Mason will take over the backfield once again, putting him on the RB2/3 border.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that Jones “believes he’ll be able to play next week,” though he will undoubtedly undergo further testing and the medical team will make the final assessment. The AC joint connects the clavicle to the shoulder, which obviously makes grinding through contact difficult when it is injured. His teammate, RB Jordan Mason, attempted to play through an AC joint sprain suffered in Week 6, with the 49ers, last year but re-injured it in Week 8. Jones could certainly be active next week against the Ravens, but Mason must be rostered everywhere. Stay tuned.

In just his second game back from his early-season hamstring injury, Jones was announced as “questionable” midway through the third quarter but does not appear to be returning. Ineffective in Week 8, Jones had been much better so far today, turning nine carries into 78 yards. He also tacked on two receptions for 20 yards as Jordan Mason remained ineffective. Regressing to his career injury mean after 2024’s healthy campaign, Jones should be considered on the wrong side of questionable for Week 10 against the Ravens’ soft run defense.

Jones was making his return from injured reserve, and he and the Vikings found almost no rushing room with a total of 34 yards on the ground on just 11 attempts. The 30-year-old likely will see more touches in Week 9 against the Lions after a mini-bye, but he’s more of a FLEX option than someone fantasy managers must have in their lineup.

The official activation puts Jones in line to be on the RB2/FLEX borderline against a Chargers run defense that has boosted fantasy production for backs so far. Splitting snaps with Jordan Mason won’t be ideal, but Jones should have fresh legs and fantasy managers can certainly do worse in a week with six teams on bye.