Purple Insider's Matthew Coller believes RB Jordan Mason will be the Vikings' "bell cow" this season and run for 1,010 yards. It's just a prediction, but Coller is a respected reporter who's been covering the Vikings since 2016. It's not tough to imagine Mason surpassing RB Aaron Jones on the depth chart considering where both guys are in their careers.
What They're Saying
Coller: "If [HC Kevin] O’Connell is serious about getting down to business with the running game, he will be leaning on Mason more, even if it comes along with pass protection/receiving shortcomings. ... That doesn’t mean they brought back Aaron Jones for nothing but he’s going to be more effective in a more limited role to keep him fresh than he is being leaned upon heavily."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Jones out-carried Mason 93 to 80 in 10 healthy games together last year. But Mason was the more effective runner by basically any metric:
| Mason | Jones | |
| Yards Per Carry | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt | +1.02 | -0.12 |
| Yards After Contact Per Attempt | 2.42 | 1.67 |
| Missed Tackles Forced Per Attempt | 0.19 | 0.09 |
| Success Rate | 56.0% | 49.2% |
Mason is still in his prime at 27, while Jones is surely declining at 31. So it wouldn't be surprising if Mason finishes with more carries this year.
That'd be enough for RB3 or Flex value, but Mason would need more pass-catching work to be a needle mover in fantasy leagues. His 14 catches last year were a career high.
Jones is the more accomplished pass catcher, but he slipped there last year, ranking 22nd in yards per route and 38th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade among 40 qualifying RBs. That opens the door for a bigger role for Mason.
This backfield will be worth tracking closely this summer. For now, Mason checks in as the superior value at his RB41 ADP.
