Jordan Mason DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

It sounds as though Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, will have a notable role in the team's backfield in 2025 as the "1b" behind starter Aaron Jones. "I do think Jordan's gonna bring something to the table in those short-yardage situations, those goal-line situations, goal-to-go, where we've really left a lot to be desired as a football team," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. If healthy, Jones should be Minnesota's go-to guy on the early downs and on third down in obvious passing situations, but the presence of Mason as the potential goal-line guy for the Vikes could be bad news for Jones' fantasy ceiling and floor this upcoming season. Mason, 25, has averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry in his three years in the NFL and looked good filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey in 2025. He'll be a handcuff to Jones but could also be in play as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in deeper leagues.

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.

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.