Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. left last week’s contest against the Seattle Seahawks with a left shoulder injury. The veteran had a questionable tag heading into practice Friday, leaving his status for the Vikings’ Week 14 matchup with the Washington Commanders up in the air.
There is now a clearer picture when it comes to Jones’ availability, but should you trust him in your lineup in the final week of the fantasy football regular season?
Aaron Jones Injury Update
Jones was a limited participant in practice Friday, as he was on Wednesday and Thursday. And yet, he is no longer questionable for Week 14 and is not carrying any injury designation into the sub-.500 showdown.
This is far from the first time that Jones has been banged up in 2025. Jones hurt his hamstring on Sunday Night Football in Week 2 and sat on injured reserve for over a month. Jones returned to action on Thursday Night Football in Week 8, only to suffer an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in Week 9. That injury didn’t cost him any time, nor did his toe injury that popped up ahead of Week 10.
As for other updates from the Vikings’ injury report, center Ryan Kelly and guard Blake Brandel have both rejoined the team as full participants at practice. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has also cleared concussion protocol and will retake the starting job on Sunday. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw and left guard Donovan Jackson, on the other hand, are both questionable. Darrisaw was a full participant on Friday, while Jackson was limited.
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
Jordan Mason is still in the picture when it comes to the Vikings’ backfield, although he will get bumped down a peg with Jones back. Behind them, Ty Chandler remains on injured reserve but is technically questionable for Week 14. If Chandler doesn’t play, Zavier Scott will serve as Minnesota’s third running back.
Between Week 10 and Week 12, Jones was on the field for 68.3% of offensive snaps. In that same span, Mason boasted a 22.6% snap share. Even with Jones leaving early with an injury in Week 13, he still outsnapped Mason 19-15 for the day.
Jones and Mason split time pretty evenly in the early goings this season, but the latter has topped 17 snaps just once since the former came off IR. Mason also has just one game with at least nine carries plus targets since Week 8, compared to Jones’ six.
Should I start Aaron Jones in fantasy football?
With McCarthy starting, the Vikings’ offense has a serious ceiling. They are averaging 17.0 points per game when McCarthy plays. At the same time, Minnesota could have a healthy offensive line going against a Commanders defense that ranks No. 30 in limiting opposing fantasy running backs. McCarthy also gives the Vikings a better shot than backup Max Brosmer, who led the offense to zero points in Week 13. Washington’s 21.8 points per game rank in the bottom third of the NFL, so the Vikings should actually be able to utilize their backfield deep into the game – even with Jayden Daniels cleared to return from injury.
Jones is averaging 11.4 PPR fantasy points per game this season, excluding when he has exited early with an injury. He also averages 3.75 targets per game, making Jones Minnesota’s go-to receiving back. As scary as it might be to start a 31-year-old who fumbled last week and recently sustained two shoulder injuries, he is still a low-end RB2 for Week 14.
