The shelf life for NFL running backs is short, and outside of a few cases, the age of 30 is generally the point at which the decline phase starts--and some don't even get there before it happens. So, Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones doing what he did in his age-30 campaign defied the odds.
Last season, Jones set career-highs in carries (255), touches (306), and rushing yards (1,138) along with 51 receptions and seven total touchdowns. Ideally, he wouldn't have had to take on that much volume, but there were no viable options behind him.
The Vikings changed that latter point very early this offseason by acquiring Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers. Essentially, Mason excelled everywhere Jones didn't last season (short yardage, red zone), so he's an ideal complement as the Vikings have put a clear focus on having a more effective ground game.
Mason's presence also puts a big dent in Jones' fantasy upside for 2025, even if head coach Kevin O'Connell is dreaming of ways to have them on the field at the same time.
Getting down to it, Jones needed heavy volume to be a top-20 fantasy running back (regardless of scoring format) last year. Some reduction in that volume this year would be one thing, but it could be a legit 50-50 split with Mason getting the goal line work.
An easy principle for fantasy managers, when it comes to dealing with the prospect of an evenly split backfield, goes like this: "When in doubt, lean toward the goal line guy." In the Vikings' context this year, the primary goal line is not lined up to be Jones.
Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones might not be dead as a fantasy football asset
As of this writing, via Fantasy Pros, Jones is going off the board at RB26 in 0.5-point PPR and full PPR league drafts. That's where he's likely to sit through the teeth of draft season, as a high-end RB3 or maybe a low-end RB2 in 12-team leagues.
What should still be a prominent role on passing downs gives him somewhat of a floor, even if his upside has been crushed by the acquisition of Mason.
Beckett Mesko of PFF has offered one data-backed fantasy take for each team in 2025. For the Vikings, it's "Aaron Jones performs closer to his 2024 finish than his 2025 ADP."
"Jones ranked as the PPR RB14 last season yet is being drafted as the RB27 this season, behind names such as Isiah Pacheco, Kaleb Johnson and David Montgomery.
While Jones may not be a flashy name in the fantasy world, he has always been consistent in fully healthy seasons:
2024: RB14
2023: 11 games played
2022: RB9
2021: RB11
The data showed that Jones didn't slow down last season, with his 46 forced missed tackles and 69 first downs both ranking 12th among running backs. At this ADP, consider drafting Aaron Jones and taking Jordan Mason later on in case of injury."
The idea of taking Jones and Mason in a fantasy draft is interesting, even though it would be best to pick one in most situations (cough, Mason, cough).
The 46 missed tackles Jones forced as a runner last season, and the 69 first downs he had as a runner and receiver, feel... (wait for it), fairly volume-driven.
Within the idea that his touch volume will drop this season, no one expects Jones to repeat where he finished in fantasy last year. But there is some value built into an ADP that lands in RB3 territory, and in that context, Jones shouldn't be totally written off as a potential fantasy asset in 2025.