The Vikings placed RB Jordan Mason on IR with a thumb injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This one comes out of nowhere. Mason finished the Week 1 win over the Packers, and there was no report of an injury afterward. He's now out for at least the next four games. We'll see about his availability beyond that.
Update: HC Kevin O'Connell said Mason had surgery to fix a "small fracture" in his thumb and is expected back after 4 weeks.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Mason's absence leaves Aaron Jones as Minnesota's clear lead back. The only other RBs on the roster are DeeJay Dallas, who played 6 offensive snaps in the opener, and rookie Demond Claiborne, who was a healthy scratch Week 1.
Those guys figure to mix in a little behind Jones, but expect the veteran to handle the vast majority of the work at least in Week 2. Jones is 31, posted career worsts in most metrics last season, and mustered just 3.3 yards per carry in this year's opener. But volume plus an excellent matchup vs. the Bears on Sunday will make him a nice fantasy start.
Minnesota gets a much tougher Week 3 draw against the Buccaneers, followed by nice matchups against the Dolphins and Saints.
Other Winners & Losers
Claiborne is undersized at 188 pounds and fell to Round 6 of this spring's draft. But he ran for nearly 2,000 yards and caught 51 balls over his final 2 college seasons.
He's a higher-upside fantasy bet than Dallas and is worth stashing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
