The Minnesota Vikings are freshly off their 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, and the outlook has only gotten worse. Head Coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that both J.J. McCarthy and Aaron Jones are expected to miss this week’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals due to injury.
This would put Carson Wentz in line to get the start at quarterback for Minnesota, while Jordan Mason should see an increased role at running back. Minnesota’s entire offense is likely to look a bit different, but Mason should be right at the top of the fantasy football priority list heading into Week 3.
Jordan Mason’s Fantasy Football Outlook with Aaron Jones Injured:
Heading into the season, it was difficult to get a read from the Vikings on how the running back touches would shake out. Aaron Jones had a career-best season last year in which he served as mostly the bellcow back, running for 1,138 yards with five rushing touchdowns while adding 408 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air. Based on DraftKings scoring, Jones tallied 250.6 total fantasy points, which ranked 16th among running backs. His 14.7 fantasy points per game ranked 20th among running backs and tied for 74th among all players.
With Jones set to turn 31 this season, Minnesota added Jordan Mason in the offseason after his breakout with the 49ers last year. Filling in for an injured Christian McCaffrey, Mason tallied 789 yards and three rushing touchdowns across 12 games. He rushed for 100+ yards in three of his first four matchups, but saw his opportunities limited as the San Francisco roster got back to full strength.
During the opening week victory over the Bears, Mason led the Vikings’ rushing production with 15 carries for 68 yards and had one reception for seven yards. Jones had just eight rush attempts for 23 yards, but did add 44 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air.
In Week 2, neither running back cracked double-digit carries as the Vikings tried to mount another comeback attempt. Mason finished the game with nine rushes for 30 yards and added two receptions for eight yards. Jones was limited due to injury, but tallied just five carries for 23 yards and failed to pull in the pass sent in his direction. From the fantasy football perspective, Jones has tallied 18.0 total fantasy points or 9.0 per game, while Mason has tallied 14.3 total points across the two games based on DraftKings scoring.
Heading into Week 3, the entire outlook shifts due to injury. But this is a friendly matchup against a Bengals team that has made some average offenses look much better than this to this point. Cincinnati currently ranks 16th in the NFL in points allowed and 24th in yards given up while facing the Browns and Jaguars thus far. While they have been more vulnerable against the pass to this point, all areas of the defense have had some concerns. It is also important to note that Joe Burrow is out due to injury, so there is not as significant a concern for the Vikings playing from behind with Jake Browning under center.
Carson Wentz is as much of a Wild Card as you will find at the quarterback position. But he is not afraid to let it fly and will at least keep the Bengals’ defense honest. This is not to excuse his tendency to hold the ball too long, and he is not always a model of decision-making at the QB spot. But this should be viewed mostly as a positive regarding Mason’s outlook, even if you have to take the bad with the good.
The biggest thing that has held Mason back to this point has been the lack of opportunities. He has received 20+ carries in just three games in his career and rushed for a combined 370 rushing yards and three touchdowns in these chances. The Georgia Tech product has also never been held below 56 rushing yards in any game that he has had double-digit carries.
Mason should be in line for this type of role this week and, even despite his inexperience, should largely be viewed as the safety blanket of this Vikings offense. Expect O’Connell to look to keep the game simple for Carson Wentz and for Mason to be a key part of this effort. With a friendly defensive matchup and plenty of expected opportunities, count on him having a strong fantasy football output. Have Mason penciled in as a top 10 fantasy football running back this week, even if the yards and chances come a bit ugly. Jones and McCarthy, as well as one rushing attempt from Justin Jefferson, are the only other players to have logged a rushing attempt for Minnesota this year, and count on Mason delivering as the more sure part of this Vikings’ offense in Week 3.
