Fantasy Football News

Vikings RB Aaron Jones suffered an apparent rib injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. We'll update his status when we know more. Jones' absence leaves Minnesota's backfield to RBs Cam Akers and Ty Chandler.

Update: Jones is officially questionable to return with a chest injury.

Update: Jones returned late in the fourth quarter.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That seemingly gives him a chance to play vs. the Lions this weekend. We'll see what Jones does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones did not practice on Wednesday. He's listed on the injury report with a hamstring, rather than the previously reported hip. "Aaron is going to progress throughout the week and hopefully has a chance to go on Sunday," HC Kevin O'Connell said. Jones is hoping to get back on the practice field on Thursday, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. We'll update his status again tomorrow. If Jones misses Sunday's game vs. the Lions, Ty Chandler would project to dominate backfield work.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell labeled RB Aaron Jones "week to week" with the hip injury he suffered in the win over the Jets. "It looks like we've avoided a long-term injury," O'Connell added. Jones gets a well-timed Week 6 bye, although it's unclear if he'll be ready for Week 7's game against the Lions. If not, RB Ty Chandler will step into an every-down role. He's worth stashing in most fantasy leagues.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones went down with a hip injury early in the Vikings game and Ty Chandler got the opportunity to lead the backfield. He ended with 14 carries for 30 yards adding two receptions on two targets for nine years.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Jets with a hip injury. Jones has been trying to loosen up on the sidelines but hasn't looked good enough to re-enter. Ty Chandler is now operating as Minnesota's lead back.

Update: Jones was ruled out at halftime.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported that Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell spoke firmly about RB Ty Chandler being the team's primary back. "We're kind of building with the mindset that [Chandler] is going to be a guy we're trying to get the ball to a lot, both in the run and the pass," said O'Connell, adding that the potential availability of RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) will "be a huge bonus for the depth" at the position. It doesn't take much reading of the tea leaves to gather that Mattison has lost a grip on leading this backfield in touches whenever he returns from injury. Managers in season-long formats who picked up Chandler off of the waiver wire should be thrilled about his prospects of yielding a significant workload in Week 16 vs. the Lions, and seemingly beyond. See where Chandler lands in our latest RB rankings.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that RB Ty Chandler "is absolutely a guy that is going to see a featured, featured role in our offense." Chandler gave the Vikings their best rushing performance of the season in Saturday's loss to the Bengals, ripping off 132 yards and a score on 23 carries. We'll see whether RB Alexander Mattison can make it back from his ankle injury for this weekend's game vs. the Lions, but it sounds like we should expect Chandler to lead the backfield regardless. He, of course, will be a much stronger fantasy play if Mattison remains out.

The Vikings fear a torn Achilles for RB Cam Akers, HC Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's win over the Falcons. This would be Akers' left Achilles. He tore his right Achilles in July 2021, eventually making it back in January 2022. This latest injury would end Akers' 2023 campaign, leaving Minnesota's backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We should get confirmation on the injury on Monday.

Update: The Monday MRi confirmed the injury. Unfortunately, this makes Akers droppable across fantasy formats, including dynasty.

Vikings RB Cam Akers suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We'll update Akers' status when we know more.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell highlighted RB Ty Chandler as a standout in Thursday night's preseason opener vs. the Seahawks. "I thought Ty Chandler jumped out, because any time he had the ball in his hand, very rarely was he tackled by the first defender," O'Connell said. Chandler finished with 11 carries for 41 yards and caught all four of his targets for 29 yards. He got three-down usage with the starters -- which did not include QB Kirk Cousins, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Justin Jefferson, or TE T.J. Hockenson. RB Kene Nwangu was also held out with an injury, while RB DeWayne McBride only spelled Chandler on occasion in the first half. It was a strong showing from Chandler and has him looking like the favorite to open the season as Minnesota's No. 2 RB behind Mattison.