The Green Bay Packers‘ Week 1 offense was running through star RB Aaron Jones up until his hamstring injury on his TD reception. The Packers have been fine without him, but the running game has taken a massive dip, and he’s badly needed.
Will the Packers have Jones playing in Week 4? What should fantasy managers do if not? Let’s dive into these!
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Is Aaron Jones Playing Thursday Night Football Week 4?
All this week and dating back to last Thursday, Jones has been listed as a limited participant in Packers practice reports. He’s officially listed as questionable on the final injury report, so his status will bear monitoring 90 minutes before kickoff when inactives are officially listed.
All that being said, everyone seems confident Jones will play despite the short week. While possibly resting him for another week and a half is tempting, the Packers appear set to let Jones loose again, and it is just in time for Jones and fantasy managers alike.
Jones has said he plans to play, and teammates have seemed confident, too. On Thursday morning, Tom Pelissero tweeted that Jones is expected to play in Week 4.
Update 09/28/23: Jones is officially active for the Packers vs. Lions game tonight.
AJ Dillon has not been the most productive runner and has sat at around 13 carries per game, which is how many he received in Week 1 with Jones there.
On those 13 carries, he’s gotten just 2.74 yards per carry (YPC). Jones has just nine carries but for 4.56 YPC and another two catches for 86 yards and two total TDs.
The Detroit Lions matchup is the middle of the pack (no pun intended), but Jones is better suited to exploit it. The Lions have allowed the 11th-most catches and eighth-most yards to RBs through the pass.
On the ground, though, they’ve allowed the third-fewest rushing yards on the season.
Potential Fantasy Options if Jones Is Out Include Jaylen Warren, Roschon Johnson
At this point, most Jones managers likely have a replacement that they’ve been using, but in case you don’t, let’s discuss several players. The top guy who may be available is Warren.
The Houston Texans have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to RBs, and this seems like a game in which the Pittsburgh Steelers can show offensive growth.
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Another place to look is the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos matchup. Javonte Williams is likely rostered despite a slow start, but those teams are worst (Broncos) and second worst (Bears) at stopping fantasy RB scoring.
Semaje Perine, Khalil Herbert, and Johnson are all in play. Johnson is most likely to be available in leagues, but all are worthwhile starts in a pinch.
A couple of final options are Tyjae Spears and Matt Breida. Spears has been playing more than Derrick Henry and is the passing back in a game where the Tennessee Titans likely trail the Cincinnati Bengals most of the game.
Breida is a hard one, as Saquon Barkley needs to be ruled out before Monday night, or it’s a huge risk. But he is likely the most available player in a good matchup.