With Jordan Mason (thumb) on IR, Aaron Jones ($5,900) took on a featured role in this past Sunday’s win over the Bears. The veteran rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries while logging 80.8% of the snaps (13.5 FPTS).
However, Jones is dealing with a knee injury following this heavy workload, and he didn’t practice Wednesday, ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. the Buccaneers. Another missed practice Thursday would be a bad sign, and per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Jones “is not a sure thing for Sunday.” The reporter also said the first two names Kevin O’Connell mentioned when talking this backfield outside of Jones were Demond Claiborne ($4,400) and DeeJay Dallas ($4,200).
Jones is a 10-year veteran who is 31-years-old, and him sitting this Sunday is possible. If that is the case, will Claiborne or Dallas be the better target for fantasy?
Desmond Claiborne vs. DeeJay Dallas
Claiborne was just taken by the Vikings in the sixth-round of this past NFL Draft after back-to-back great seasons at Wake Forest, scoring 23 touchdowns between the two years. Claiborne has been with Minnesota through training camp, meanwhile, Dallas was just signed to the team’s practice squad on September 2, and he was promoted to the active roster last week after Mason was placed on IR.
Given Claiborne has had more time with the team, one would think he would be the next man up after Jones, but that wasn’t the case in Week 2. Behind Jones, Dallas rushed two times for eight yards on eight snaps, while Claiborne didn’t see a carry on just two snaps.
In the passing game, Dallas ran three routes and caught his lone target for 12 yards, whereas Claiborne ran two routes and caught his one target for two yards. Even though Claiborne has had more time to get acclimated with the Vikings, this coaching staff had more faith in Dallas, who is a seven-year veteran.
We are splitting hairs here, as both players saw little action, but if Jones was to sit, Dallas appears to be the back who would lead the way in touches. Clairborne would still see work behind him, but this would likely be around a 60/40 split in favor of Dallas.
However, Dallas has also popped up on the injury report with a toe issue and was a limited participant at practice Wednesday. Is this injury serious enough to move Clairborne ahead of Dallas in the running back peaking order? It’s hard to say, but barring Dallas getting downgraded and missing practice on Thursday, I would still side with the veteran to see more work over Claiborne this Sunday vs. the Buccaneers.
This is a tough matchup, with Tampa Bay giving up the third-fewest yards per rush this season (3.0), but the Vikings are a 1.5-point favorite for this tilt on DraftKings Sportsbook and Dallas scoring double-digit FPTS could happen if Jones is out. While not the safest play, Dallas will be a viable RB3 or FLEX option for deep season-long leagues and a viable punt play for DFS in the event Jones is sidelined.
