New Veteran Viking Gets Gloomy Forecast for 2024
In 2023, the Minnesota Vikings had one of the worst running games in the entire NFL.
In order to try and fix this problem, Minnesota went out and signed Aaron Jones in free agency after a strong conclusion to the 2023 season for the veteran. However, while the Vikings are hoping that he can be a very productive player this fall, not everyone is convinced that it will work out.
New Veteran Viking Garners “Bust” Label
CBS Sports’ Dave Richard outlined possible busts for the upcoming season, and per his fantasy football analysis, Jones made the list of candidates.
“Why is he a bust? Jones has missed playing time in three of his past four seasons and will turn 30 this season. He’s much more of a quality RB to use in lineups to begin the year but not count on as a season-long starter because of issues related to playing time and perceived injury worries. While all this is true, I have to admit that he does offer potential as a lead back, just as he proved in December and January. Be careful drafting him if you choose to do so at all,” Richard explained.
Of course, the Vikings decided to release Alexander Mattison this spring, which opened the door to a new player to take on the RB1 role in 2024. Mattison struggled throughout the 2023 campaign, totaling 180 carries for just 700 yards and no touchdowns.
Meanwhile, this release happened to coincide with the Packers deciding to bring aboard Josh Jacobs, the league’s leading rusher in 2022. With that signing, Green Bay decided to part ways with Jones, thus allowing the Vikings to bring him in.
As Richard alludes to, Jones missed a good chunk of the 2023 season, playing just 11 games because of lingering hamstring and knee injuries. He did get healthy down the stretch of the year, though, which resulted in 76 carries for 411 yards over the final four games of the regular season. He also tacked on over 100 rushing yards in each of Green Bay’s playoff games.
In the end, the fantasy value of Jones may be modest because he is an older back, and he is also going to be the running mate to Ty Chandler in Minnesota’s backfield. With Mattison’s struggles last year, the Vikings were forced to turn to the second-year player for a good portion of the home stretch of the year.
Ultimately, though, the hope should be that the Vikings running game can be far improved in 2024 with this duo leading the way.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
