When the Minnesota Vikings acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers last March, it was easy to be optimistic about his role in the offense and, as a result, the fantasy football potential of that role.
Due in large part to the overall struggles of the offense, as was the case with all of the key Vikings' skill position players, Mason was unable to deliver on that early optimism. There were some good weeks, but he finished as the RB35 in 0.5-point PPR this year (through Week 18).
Part of the issue with Mason being maximized as a fantasy asset was a lack of production as a pass catcher, as he had just 14 catches for 51 yards. That lack of a role in the passing game has roots in his issues in pass protection, as Pro Football Focus credited him with 11 pressures allowed on 65 pass blocking snaps. His 25.1 pass blocking grade was second-worst among running backs with at least 50 pass blocking snaps.
Otherwise, Mason had the seventh-best rushing success rate (minimum 100 carries), he was 10th in yards after contact per attempt (3.41, also minimum 100 carries), and he had 22 rushes of 10-plus yards.
When Aaron Jones was out early in the season (Week 3-7), Mason was the RB16 in fantasy. From there to the end of the season (Week 8-18), he was RB48 in 0.5-point PPR.
From Week 10-15, before he was injured early in Week 16 and missed the following game, Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry but had double-digit carries just twice in that span. Then he finished the season with 94 yards on 14 carries in Week 18.
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason garners some post-hype fantasy breakout love for 2026
Justin Boone of Yahoo! recently named one 2026 fantasy breakout candidate for each NFC North team, and he went with Mason for the Vikings.
"The first order of business for the Vikings will be finding some legitimate veteran competition for J.J. McCarthy at quarterback."
"If Minnesota can get even average QB play, this team will go back to being a solid playoff contender and an offense fantasy managers want to be invested in."
"Despite the struggles of the offense as a whole, Mason had stretches of quality production in his first year with the team. When Aaron Jones Sr. was out of the lineup for over a month early in the season (Week 3 to Week 7), Mason was the RB16 in FPPG."
The Vikings may move on from the 31-year-old Jones this offseason. That would open up more carries for Mason next season, which, even during his downturn in workload this season, he proved deserving of based on how efficient he was.
If Jones is gone and a notable addition is made in free agency or the draft, that would be a huge fly in the Mason fantasy breakout ointment for next season. But if he can get to 200 carries, leaving aside his lack of a role in the passing game, there could be significant value in what's lined up to be a depressed Average Draft Position (ADP) come July and August.