Some questions in fantasy football are born out of the changing landscape of a team or a dynamic shift. However, others are debates we seemingly have over and over and over again. The dilemma of Aaron Jones versus Jordan Mason is definitely the latter at this point.
These two backs have been splitting carries in the Vikings’ backfield since Mason inked a $10.5 million contract in the summer of 2025, though it does feel like neither has been able to consistently stay healthy for very long.
Jones only played 12 games last season, while Mason suffered a thumb injury in Week 1 of this season that held him out all the way until Week 7 — a contest Jones eventually exited with a knee injury. It’s almost comical at this point.
Still, with all the preamble out of the way, the duo are both available and ready to go for tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup with the Bills. Which has more fantasy value? Let’s break it down.
Who is the Vikings’ No. 1 RB vs. the Bills?
I think the most constructive thing we can do is start at Week 1’s surprising victory over the Packers. In the Vikings’ first game of the season, a point where you’d assume the coaching staff is operating most closely with their true intention, the committee of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason was virtually a 50/50 split. Jones played 46.2% of the team’s offensive snaps, while Mason logged a 44.6% rate. Both received double-digit rushing attempts, including exactly four red zone carries. Both also found the end zone. If you asked Kevin O’Connell, it was probably the precise way he imagined this backfield in his most optimistic vision of Minnesota’s campaign.
Of course, we’ve yet to really see anything like that script again. Mason’s thumb ailment kept him on the shelf past the Vikings’ Week 6 bye, and when he returned in Week 7 against the Colts, it was Jones’ turn to get injured, as the veteran left the contest with a knee issue that capped him at season-low 25.4% snap rate. Last Sunday’s tilt with the Lions was also peculiar. While Jones and Mason both made it through the 19-15 loss unscathed, DeeJay Dallas suddenly inhabited a much larger role than usual, finishing the defeat with a 32.1% snap share — though that did only translate to one carry for four yards. Dallas was released by Minnesota earlier this year, before returning as a member of the practice squad, and then eventually getting re-signed to the 53-man roster this past Wednesday. He’s not going anywhere.
Now, several teams dress more than two running backs, it’s not abnormal, but it does feel like any opportunities that Dallas pilfers from Jones and Mason hurt a little bit more in the specific context of this offense. There’s simply not that much volume to go around. The Vikings rank in the lower-third of the league in both plays per game (59.0) and points per game (20.0). They also sit dead-last in red zone scoring attempts per contest (2.3). It’s not the end of the world when D’Andre Swift or James Cook get vultured in their point-scoring machine of an offense, but for Minnesota? There may not be that many high leverage opportunities each week.
The Bottom Line
In general, I’m pretty low on all Vikings skill-position assets in fantasy, and while the presence of Carson Wentz at quarterback isn’t a massive downgrade from the low-bar that Kyler Murray was producing, it’s not exactly alluring, either.
The fact that Buffalo’s defense has surrendered the third-most FPTS per game to opposing RBs is also a bit of a misnomer. In reality, the Bills haven’t given up more than 60 rushing yards to a single opponent this season, holding the likes of Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Kyren Williams beneath that shallow plateau. Instead, Buffalo’s Achilles heel has been the amount of touchdowns its allowed — a stat we all know it’s difficult to be dependent on — and how much it funnels work in the passing game to opposing backs. To wit, the Bills are conceding the most RB targets per game (8.7) and the second-most RB receptions per game (6.0).
That trend makes Aaron Jones the Minnesota back to own on Monday night. Jordan Mason doesn’t have a single catch to his name this season, while Jones has showcased his receiving abilities for the past decade at the NFL level. Whether the Viking are actively attempting to exploit this weakness, or they’re simply playing from behind against a high-scoring Buffalo squad that’s often in possession of a lead, Jones will be the main beneficiary.
Jones is a high-end RB3 in season-long formats, and in this evening’s Showdown slate on DraftKings, he’s the easy choice over his teammate in a full-point PPR setting, especially with a salary that’s only $600 more expensive.
