Fantasy football: Where to draft Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones

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Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones, who is now 29 years old, joined the team this offseason after spending the last 7 seasons with the rival Green Bay Packers. Jones earned his only Pro Bowl appearance in 2020 and led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns the season prior. A versatile, multi-use threat, Jones is expected to be used often in the Vikings offense. Below, we look at Aaron Jones’ 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Jones is expected to take a jump in his usage as the main weapon for the Minnesota backfield, ideally becoming a top-10 or even top-5 fantasy back. The former Green Bay star is intriguing in terms of fantasy value.

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Aaron Jones’ ADP: 62.39

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Jones’ 62.39 ADP puts him in the range of the 5th to 7th round depending on the size of the league. His ADP is lower than just one teammate, WR Justin Jefferson (8.38), whose ADP ranks 8th overall.

Among running backs, Jones’ ADP puts him 22nd at the position behind Chicago’s D’Andre Swift (61.79), New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson (56.25) and Detroit’s David Montgomery (52.56), and ahead of Las Vegas’ Zamir White (63.30), Miami’s Raheem Mostert (63.55) and Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris (65.97).

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Aaron Jones’ 2023-24 stats

Games: 11

Carries | rushing yards: 142 | 656

Rushing touchdowns: 2

Receptions | receiving yards: 30 | 233

Receiving touchdowns: 1

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Where should you draft Jones?

Jones’ fantasy value could get a boost due to him playing as the lead back and splitting fewer snaps. Jones should be a workhorse back for the Vikings, a team that will be desperate to get the run game going given the season-ending injury to 1st-round pick and projected starting QB J.J. McCarthy, forcing the Vikes to count on QB Sam Darnold.

Jones has been productive throughout his career and has a 5.0 yards per carry average, However, he has played on far better offenses than this one. When Jones had the best rushing season (1,121 yards in 2022-23), the Packers were just 8-9, but they were still led by one of the most lethal quarterbacks in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers.

The loss of rookie McCarthy (out of Michigan) will sting, but it isn’t going to be the end-all for Jones’ fantasy value. Fantasy owners are still taking Jefferson like he’s one of the best receivers. They should be doing the same with Jones, who is set to be one of the two main focal points of the offense. When he’s had at least 200 carries, he’s turned it into 1,000-plus yards. Plus, with 47 or more receptions in 4 of the last 5 seasons, he’s even more valuable in PPR formats.

Draft Jones in the late 5th round and feel free to reach into the middle of the 5th in PPR formats. In standard leagues, managers can let him fall into the early parts of the 6th, but he’s still capable of producing, so don’t let him fall much later.

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