Minnesota Vikings DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (shoulder) is considered questionable to return during Thursday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. Mason appears to have suffered a shoulder injury during the second quarter of this Week 6 contest. He headed to the locker room with the trainers, so Mason is currently uncertain to return. He had eight carries for 65 yards before exiting the game. It wouldn't be shocking to see the 49ers hold him out until at least after halftime. That being said, Isaac Guerendo is the next man up and figures to see a majority of the snaps in the backfield.

The Athletic's Matt Barrows writes that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and the team clearly aren't looking for running back Jordan Mason as a receiver out of the backfield. Mason is still building his chemistry with Purdy as the team's lead back in 2024 with Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) injured. No RB who has run at least 50 pass routes has been targeted less than Mason this year. A lot of that could have to do with the fact that the Niners don't actually have a third-down option at the position. Although Mason has just seven receptions for 66 yards in five games this year, he's the RB5 in half-PPR scoring into the team's Thursday night divisional showdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mason lost the first fumble of his career in the Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals but still had 89 rushing yards on 14 carries. He's a must-start in Week 6 on Thursday night in fantasy.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason is in Seattle for a Week 6 matchup against the Seahawks on Thursday night. Last week, Mason disappointed as an RB1 by compiling 89 yards on 14 carries, no touchdowns, one reception for nine yards, and a catastrophic fourth-quarter red-zone fumble. He comes into this matchup as the RB5 overall in Yahoo default points per game. Seattle has been middle-of-the-road in stopping opposing running backs, allowing 20.3 PPG -- most recently allowing 133 yards to New York Giants backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Eric Gray. 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo matched his modest season-high five carries last week versus Arizona, which preserves Mason's bell cow status but this might be the week that Guerendo gets more involved given the short turnaround of a Thursday game after Mason's season-long heavy workload. Nevertheless, Mason remains a high-end RB1 in this one.

Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler is out of action this week on a bye, but after Aaron Jones (hip) suffered a hip injury in the Week 5 win over the New York Jets, Chandler could be in line to start in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. There will be plenty of updates on Jones' status next week, but fantasy managers needing help at running back should consider stashing Chandler in case the former Green Bay Packer is sidelined for longer than expected. The team is labeling Jones as "week-to-week," so he's not a lock to return immediately. Chandler was limited to just 39 yards on 16 touches in relief of Jones on Sunday, but he would enter the game as the clear RB1 against Detroit if Jones can't go. His upside would likely be limited against a strong Detroit front, but his potential usage would put him in RB2 territory, which is valuable for fantasy managers who have D'Andre Swift or Rico Dowdle on a bye next week.

Minnesota Viking running back Aaron Jones (hip) appears to have avoided a long-term injury after being hurt in the Week 5 win over the New York Jets in London on Sunday, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. When asked about Jones, O'Connell said he "continues to be evaluated, but all the early information we've got so far, it looks like we've avoided a long-term injury. I'd classify him as week-to-week at this point." It's good timing for Jones, as the Vikings are on bye in Week 6. However, Jones won't be a lock to return coming out of the bye in a Week 7 divisional contest against the Detroit Lions, so we'll keep a close eye on his status during practice that week. If Jones is forced to miss any time coming out of the bye, Ty Chandler would be forced into lead-back duties for the undefeated Vikings.