Aaron Jones off injury report, will play in Week 8

Jones was forced from the team’s Week 7 win over the Colts due to an aggravation of an existing knee injury. The fact he was able to return to the practice field in any capacity after missing Wednesday’s session is good news for his potential availability against the Lions. We would expect him to form a loose committee with Jordan Mason, if active Sunday. Fantasy managers will want to confirm his level of participation Friday.

Jones has reportedly been playing through a sprained MCL in one knee since Week 2. He seemingly aggravated it in Week 7 and left the game early in the fourth quarter. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jones is considered “day-to-day.” Jones could once again play through the issue this week against the Lions. Stay tuned.

Jones’ status will be one to watch this week as the Vikings prepare for their Week 8 matchup against the Lions. While the team calling him day-to-day is encouraging, Jones was already dealing with a knee injury entering Week 7, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings opted to sit him this week to give him some additional time to recover. Jordan Mason, who rushed 15 times for 68 yards in Sunday’s win over the Colts could be in line for a busy day against the Lions if Jones is unable to go.

Jones got the start in the Vikings backfield, ripping off four straight carries for nine yards on Minnesota’s first possession. Outside of the opening possession, Jones took a backseat to Jordan Mason, seeing a mix of passing-down snaps and short-yardage carries. He caught his only target in the red zone but had it punched out for a fumble out of bounds. Jones left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury; he had been playing through an MCL injury and may have aggravated the issue. Prior to the injury, Jones was getting out-snapped by Mason and ends with 15 snaps to Mason’s 38, while getting six fewer touches. Jones is a low-end fantasy RB2 if healthy for Week 8.

Jones suffered a knee injury after a fourth quarter run against the Colts. He has notably been playing through an MCL injury and may have re-aggravated it here. Jones struggled to walk and spent time in the medical tent. Jordan Mason is the team’s top running back while Jones is out.

Lewis connects the Vikings to Chargers backs Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal as well as Tennessee’s Tony Pollard, Tampa Bay’s Kenneth Gainwell, and Arizona’s Tyler Allgeier. These are just whispers at the moment, but any kind of costly trade acquisition would cut into the playing time and fantasy value of Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones. The Vikings have clearly already been shuffling depth pieces around so we believe there could be more urgency there as the trade deadline gets closer.

Jones had been seeing elite workloads ever since Jordan Mason was placed on IR with a thumb injury. He hadn’t done all that much with the opportunities but finally got going downhill today. Jones ran right over a New Orleans defender for a short touchdown early in the fourth quarter. He then salted the game away with a handful of chunk gains late in the contest. Mason is eligible to return after the Vikings’ Week 6 bye, so this may be the last we’ve seen of Jones in a three-down role for now.

Jones was an offensive focal point for the Vikings today, consistently churning out moderate ground gains with a few decently long runs sprinkled in. He had a four-yard run called back by a penalty and lost out on a likely double-digit receiving gain on a route out of the backfield because Kyler Murray’s throw was late and low. A Dolphins defender managed to punch the ball out of Jones’ possession at one point, but it bounced out of bounds, preserving Jones’ fantasy box score. The Vikings’ offensive line health is worth monitoring heading into Week 5, but these types of workloads keep him locked firmly in the reliable RB2 tier. Treat him accordingly against the Saints next week.

Only Jordan Addison saw more targets than Jones, who retained his lead back role for a second straight week with Jordan Mason injured. Demond Claiborne was the only other Minnesota running back to see a carry (he had three.) Jones was a grinder against the Bucs, picking up key first downs and shedding tacklers on screen passes in the second half. The Vikings seem intent on feeding Jones the rock for now. That should keep him in all lineups next week against the Dolphins.

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.