After a season where he set career-highs in carries (255) and touches (306), the Minnesota Vikings knew they had to do something about Aaron Jones' workload as he headed into his age-31 season. So in March, they acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers to form a legit 1-2 backfield tandem in support of J.J. McCarthy.
In the fantasy football realm, Mason is garnering plenty of well-warranted buzz as a value pick in drafts. Mason is very good in the areas where Jones was not very good last year (short yardage and goal line), and that threat to Jones' aforementioned volume is bad news for his fantasy upside in 2025.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell also lauded Mason as a "complete back", despite a lack of production as a pass catcher thus far in his career, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
However it looks, Jones is not dead as a potential fantasy asset this year. He just won't, ideally, have to top 250 carries or 300 touches again due to a lack of other viable options.
Fantasy analyst nails the bottom line for how Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones can save his value in 2025
ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Karabell recently unveiled his "Do Draft List" for this year. In the running back realm, he noted the presence of Mason in the Vikings' backfield, while also putting a precise point on where Jones can save his fantasy bacon this year.
"The Vikings traded for former 49er Jordan Mason, and it seems everyone expects him to push established starter Aaron Jones Sr. aside. I can see the Vikings aiming to decrease the starter's workload a bit, but come on, this should also result in more efficiency. Jones will see ample volume and catch 50 passes again, making him a borderline RB2."
Jones has averaged 48 receptions per season over the last six seasons, with more than 50 catches in three of those campaigns (51 last year) and more than 390 receiving yards four times in that span. Targets are more valuable than carries for fantasy, and Jones' substantial role in the passing game (top-10 among running backs last season in routes run, targets, receptions, and receiving yards) is unlikely to evaporate very much this year.
Based on his current ADP, via Fantasy Pros and, of course, taking scoring format into account, Jones is in the "borderline RB2" range like Karabell noted. With last year's ceiling (RB14 in full PPR) faded into unlikelihood, there's still value in having Jones as an RB2 or an RB3 in 12-team leagues with a PPR element this year.