Week 1 is in the books and we’re onto Week 2 of the fantasy football season. In the opener, the Minnesota Vikings looked strong with a standout win over the Green Bay Packers, a game in which Jordan put up double-digit fantasy points with a touchdown. Now, the team is looking ahead to a much softer matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Given his production in the first game of the year, is Jordan Mason a name to watch for heading into Week 2 in fantasy football?
Jordan Mason fantasy outlook
He’s no superstar, but Jordan Mason has become a very serviceable NFL back over the last couple of years. He initially burst onto the scene in 2024 when he stepped up for the San Francisco 49ers in the absence of an injured Christian McCaffrey, but his role as a backup was clear with the multi-time All-Pro ahead of him. However, the Vikings took a swing by trading for Mason ahead of the 2025 campaign. He worked in a split backfield with Aaron Jones, but still managed to record 758 rushing yards and six touchdowns as the primary runner in the ground attack.
Now, Minnesota has reportedly expanded the usage of zone run concepts in the playbook to fit Mason’s strengths, and Jones is another year older as he approaches his 32nd birthday in December. There was plenty of talk that the younger back could see a more sizable role moving forward – while Mason played one fewer snap than Jones in Week 1, the difference was obviously marginal. What’s more important is that Mason saw 15 carries on the day, turning them into 59 rushing yards and one touchdown, though he didn’t record a target. In contrast, Jones handled 12 carries for 40 yards and a score with one target, himself.
What this shows us is that, for now, Mason does appear to be the lead option when it comes to the ground game. Had Kyler Murray not gone down early with an injury and the Vikings not held a lead for the second half, perhaps there would’ve been a little less rushing volume to go around in this backfield. Looking ahead, though, the presence of Carson Wentz likely starting in Week 2 means that Minnesota should look to insulate the backup quarterback by turning to the ground, leaving plenty of room for both backs to produce if given opportunities.
The matchup in Week 2 is a tasty one, too. The Vikings are on the road, but they get a date against an NFC North rival as they face the Chicago Bears, who were one of the NFL’s worst teams against the run in 2025. Last year, the Bears ranked 27th in rushing yards allowed and 26th in defensive EPA/rush. In Week 1, they also gave up 125 rushing yards on 22 total attempts, an average of 5.68 yards per carry.
The game plan aligns nicely for Mason to put forth another productive outing in fantasy. As long as he works as the top rusher ahead of Jones in terms of volume, the 27-year-old should be able to at least replicate his 11.9-point performance, if not surpass it against Chicago. The Bears’ defense just allowed 37 points and 478 yards of offense to a Carolina Panthers offense that’s not quite as good as this Minnesota unit, so it’s possible there should be plenty of scoring chances on Sunday.
That would bode extremely well for Mason in Week 2. After getting four carries in the red zone last week, two of which came inside the 10-yard line, he could be in for a huge day as long as he and Wentz can sustain possessions. That shouldn’t be too big of an issue, so fire him up as a strong FLEX or a solid RB2 this week.
