Aaron Jones Sr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (hip) was able to practice in full on Thursday after being limited to start the week on Wednesday. Unless Jones has a setback with his hip during Friday's practice, he should be ready to suit up for the Week 3 matchup against the 2-0 Houston Texans. Through his first two games in his first year in Minnesota, Jones has averaged a healthy 5.5 yards per carry on 23 rushing attempts, gaining 126 yards with one touchdown. He's added seven receptions for 51 yards through the air. The Vikings are going to continue to spell the 29-year-old with backup Ty Chandler, making him more of a touchdown-dependent RB2 for fantasy managers. Jones faces a tough matchup against Houston this week, too, with the Texans having allowed the third-fewest half-PPR fantasy points to opposing RBs in the first two weeks.

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (hip) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Jones had a solid debut with the Vikings in Week 1 but was less effective in Week 2. He has 126 rushing yards and a touchdown to go along with seven receptions for 51 yards through two games. Jones has been dominant in his snap share over third-year running back Ty Chandler which should continue in Week 3. The hip injury is new. However, given that Jones was able to practice in some capacity on Wednesday, the alarm for fantasy managers should not be too high just yet.

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones took nine carries for 32 yards in the team's 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. He also caught 5-of-6 targets for an additional 36 yards. Jones was out-produced by backup Ty Chandler on the ground in this one (82 yards) and received one less carry than the 26-year-old, but was able to salvage his fantasy day with his work in the passing game. The former Green Bay Packer has led the Vikings backfield through two games, out-touching his running mate 30-to-21 and out-gaining him 177-to-124 while scoring the lone touchdown between the two. This week's rushing split is slightly concerning for managers of the 29-year-old veteran, though it is unclear whether or not it's prescriptive moving forward. Continue to fire Jones up as a mid-to-low-end RB2 on a surprisingly effective Minnesota offense in advance of his Week 3 tilt against the Houston Texans.

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones is optimistic about having a standout season, crediting the team's training staff for potentially preparing him for the best year of his career. Jones noted that he feels the "I'm ready to have the best year of my career" heading into a new season, thanks in part to a 30-45 minute "prehab" routine given to him before practices. Despite his impressive durability in the previous four seasons, where he played 62 of 66 games, Jones missed six last season due to hamstring and knee injuries. Once he was healthy, he made a significant impact, surpassing 100 rushing yards in his final five games and helping the Packers nearly advance to the NFC Championship Game. During that stretch, Jones carried the ball 102 times for 584 yards, becoming a crucial part of the offense. While it's important not to overvalue Jones based on past performance alone, he remains a strong RB2 option in fantasy leagues if drafted at the right price. For added security, consider pairing him with his backup, Ty Chandler, in the later rounds of your draft.

Based on conversations ESPN's Dan Graziano had with Minnesota Vikings officials, he expects the team to try to get running back Aaron Jones 15 to 18 touches per game and use Ty Chandler as a 1B to Jones' 1A. It's possible some weeks will call for Jones to see upwards of 20 touches, but the Vikings have watched him closely for years and think he has always been at his best when he has had a complementary back such as Jamaal Williams or AJ Dillon. With that said, Jones will offer a more explosive element in the running game than Alexander Mattison did last year, and Minnesota believes the 29-year-old still has plenty left in the tank to be their lead back in 2024. But he's right around the age where RBs start to break down, so the Vikes will be careful with his workload, which makes him more of a low-end RB2 target in his first year in Minnesota.