Minnesota Vikings DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Minnesota Vikings acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and signed him to a two-year deal with over $7 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The maximum value of the deal is for $12 million. The Niners placed a second-round tender (worth $5.3 million) on Mason, who was a restricted free agent, but he'll now head to the NFC North, where he'll serve as the backup to Aaron Jones. San Fran also sent the 187th pick in this year's draft in exchange for the 160th pick in the draft and a sixth-round pick in 2026. The 25-year-old was one of the best waiver-wire pickups in fantasy a year ago after taking over for Christian McCaffrey as the Niners' lead back. He had 789 rushing yards and three TDs on 153 carries in 12 games (six starts) before ending the year with an ankle injury. Mason won't have much standalone fantasy value in 2025 but will be a fine handcuff for those that roster Jones.

Free-agent wide receiver Rondale Moore (knee) is visiting with the Minnesota Vikings on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Moore, a former second-round selection (49th overall) by the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 out of Purdue, spent all of the 2024 season on Injured Reserve due to a non-contact knee injury that he suffered back in a training camp practice with the Atlanta Falcons. The 24-year-old pass-catcher has played in three seasons in the NFL (all with Arizona) and has tallied 135 catches on 182 targets for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns (one each year) in 39 games (23 starts). The Vikings already have one of the top pass-catching duos in the league with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but they could add Moore for some depth alongside slot man Jalen Nailor. Moore could have lost a step due to his knee injury and would be fighting an uphill battle for fantasy relevance if he signs in Minnesota.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that with quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones now out of town, it's considered likely that J.J. McCarthy (knee) will be the Minnesota Vikings' starting QB in 2025. The Vikings had plenty of interest in retaining one of Darnold or Jones, but they were outbid by the Seahawks and Colts, respectively. Minnesota will probably add a veteran QB as insurance, but all signs point to McCarthy leading the offense from Week 1 after he missed all of 2024 due to a torn meniscus that he suffered in the preseason. The 22-year-old Michigan product was the 10th overall pick in last year's draft. Although he has an excellent one-two punch to work with at receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and a QB guru in head coach Kevin O'Connell, fantasy managers should expect growing pains from McCarthy. Fantasy managers in single-QB, 12-team leagues can ignore McCarthy in 2025.

The San Francisco 49ers placed a second-round tender on restricted free-agent running back Jordan Mason on Tuesday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The second-round tender is worth over $5 million, so it means that Mason will most likely return to the Niners in 2025 as the backup to Christian McCaffrey (knee). However, with Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. also in the fold, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 25-year-old traded this offseason. Mason missed the last five weeks of the 2024 season with a high-ankle sprain, but before that, he was a waiver-wire darling in fantasy football after taking over for the injured McCaffrey as San Fran's lead back. He had a career year with 153 carries, 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns while adding 11 catches for 91 yards through the air. If Mason isn't traded, he'll be a popular handcuff option for those that take the risk with CMC as an RB1.

The Minnesota Vikings are re-signing running back Aaron Jones, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jones' new agreement is a two-year $20 million deal, including $13 million guaranteed. The UTEP product is fresh off his first season with the team, in which he set career-highs in touches (306), carries (255), and rushing yards (1,138) -- totaling seven touchdowns. It was just the third time he'd participated in a full slate of games in his career. The move makes sense for the Vikes, as the 30-year-old was still productive despite dealing with rib, hip, and quad injuries during the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see who the team's signal-caller will be, as J.J. McCarthy (knee) is slated to begin practicing in the spring, though to what extent is unknown. Still, Minnesota has their lead back locked up, and he'll likely be among the first 15-20 backs taken off the board in fantasy drafts this summer.