Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones is the RB1 overall in fantasy football formats through one week of NFL action. Unfortunately, he picked up a hamstring strain during the team’s 38-20 win against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Let’s take a closer look at how his injury impacts this Green Bay backfield — and your fantasy team — heading into Week 2.
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Latest News Surrounding Aaron Jones
The injury report from the Packers yesterday detailed that Jones “did not participate” in Wednesday’s practice as he is still dealing with a hamstring injury.
Today’s #Packers injury report: pic.twitter.com/O5GwAn8Qwp
— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) September 13, 2023
Jones was joined by starting wide receiver Christian Watson as a non-participant for the Packers offense.
Update: Jones reportedly was not seen out at practice on Thursday, but stayed inside to rehab his hamstring injury.
Will Jones Play This Week?
A veteran missing a Wednesday – and now Thursday – practice isn’t something to overreact to quite yet, but you should closely monitor his participation in practice through the rest of the week.
If Jones fails to participate in practice the entire week, I would begin to make contingency plans for him in your fantasy lineup.
However, if Jones can get on the practice in a limited capacity on at least Friday, then it would drastically improve his chances of playing in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.
What Does This Mean for Jones’ and AJ Dillon’s Fantasy Ranking?
The Packers’ matchup against the low-scoring, run-heavy Falcons offense doesn’t exactly project for a shootout, but Jones’ 127 total yards with two TDs on just 11 touches last week proves he doesn’t need a ton of volume in order to be a starter in your fantasy lineup.
Admittedly, his hamstring injury does make me very nervous to give him an aggressive ranking heading into Week 2. The reaggravation rate of hamstring injuries to running backs is very high, which represents a great amount of risk with an aggressive ranking and trusting in your starting lineup.
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Currently, I have Jones as the RB16 heading into the week but will move him up slightly if he gets back on the practice field.
If Jones is unavailable against the Falcons, running back AJ Dillon will likely sneak into my top 25 at the position and will be a safe RB2 option in your fantasy lineup because of his volume and role expansion in Jones’ absence.