The Minnesota Vikings will face the Detroit Lions in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Aaron Jones.
Is Aaron Jones Playing in Week 18?
Week 18 Status: PLAYING
The Vikings’ star RB suffered a quad contusion late in Minnesota’s win over the Packers. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Jones should be able to practice this week, and that came to fruition with the running back getting in a limited session on Wednesday and Thursday.
Jones returned to a full practice on Friday and carries no injury designation heading into Sunday Night Football. With the NFC North and No. 1 seed on the line versus the Lions, it’s no surprise to see Minnesota’s starting running back in the lineup.
We’ll continue to monitor the Vikings’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Aaron Jones in Week 18?
Jones suffered a quad injury last week, and while he is still expected to suit up, it’s a situation that at least deserves your attention. If you want to fully protect yourself against a late scratch, Cam Akers is the handcuff, though I’d be tempted to think that, in this event, the Vikings heap more responsibilities onto Sam Darnold than asking Akers to do his best Jones impression.
Jones has multiple receptions in six straight and has seen at least four passes thrown his way in four of those games. His versatility is being used by Kevin O’Connell, and we love to see it, especially when the splash plays on the ground have disappeared (five straight games without a rush gaining more than 15 yards).
I’d be awfully surprised if we got the 17-touch, 116-yard, one-touchdown showing that we got from Jones against the Lions back in Week 7 again, but 15-ish touches with the potential for a nice receiving game very much makes for a logical projection this week so long as he can avoid a setback.
I like Detroit to win (and cover) this game, something that hurts Jones’ projection a bit but doesn’t knock him outside of my RB2 tier.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Aaron Jones’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Sunday, Jones is projected to score 16.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 19.4 rushing attempts for 95.1 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 1.5 receptions for 21.4 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Lions' Defense
The massive spate of injuries to the Detroit Lions defense will remain the team's biggest question mark heading into the playoffs. Thanks to a disastrous start in the team's Week 17 Monday night contest at the San Francisco 49ers, the Lions posted a 60.2 (D-) grade, their worst over the past two seasons.
The scary thing is that things could have been much worse. Detroit had the second-worst EPA-per-play average in the first half of any defense in Week 17 (-0.56) but improved to a more reasonable (but still woeful) -0.15 in the second half.
The pass defense has become a major concern. Monday night saw Detroit record a 29.5% pass defense success rate. That's the second-lowest by any team in a game this year, with the Lions being on the other end of the worst game (Jacksonville Jaguars had a 24.3% pass defense success rate in Week 11 when the Lions scored 52 points).
This unit is a major concern in its current state, though the likes of Alex Anzalone and Carlton Davis could return in the playoffs. The Lions sorely need to hold serve at home in Week 18 vs. the Vikings and buy a week off for its ailing roster, which had its bye week way back in Week 5.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Aaron Jones’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, January 5. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. CAR)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. CLE)
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. JAX)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. CHI)
6) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. NO)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (at PIT)
8) Aaron Jones | MIN (at DET)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
10) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at LAR)
11) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
12) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
13) Ray Davis | BUF (at NE)
14) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at GB)
15) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
16) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at ARI)
17) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at LV)
18) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CIN)
19) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. KC)
20) Joe Mixon | HOU (at TEN)
21) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at PHI)
22) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. SEA)
24) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at IND)
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CIN)
26) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at IND)
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
28) Michael Carter | ARI (vs. SF)
29) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
30) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at BAL)
31) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at LV)
32) Miles Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. CAR)
34) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. KC)
35) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. NYG)
36) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. LAC)
37) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. BUF)
38) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. KC)
39) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at ATL)
40) Ty Johnson | BUF (at NE)
41) Devin Singletary | NYG (at PHI)
42) Cam Akers | MIN (at DET)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
44) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at GB)
45) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. MIN)
46) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at LAR)
47) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DAL)
48) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CIN)
49) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. MIA)
50) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. HOU)
51) Samaje Perine | KC (at DEN)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at ARI)
53) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. NO)
54) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
55) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. MIA)
56) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. CHI)
57) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at BAL)
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | NO (at TB)
59) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. CHI)
60) Mike Boone | CAR (at ATL)
61) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. HOU)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (vs. SF)
63) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
64) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at TEN)
65) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. CLE)
66) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at PIT)
67) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. JAX)
68) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at LV)
69) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at ARI)
70) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at TEN)
71) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at NYJ)
72) Carson Steele | KC (at DEN)
73) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. MIN)
74) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. WAS)
75) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. JAX)
76) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at ARI)
77) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
78) C.J. Ham | MIN (at DET)
79) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. KC)
80) D'Ernest Johnson | JAX (at IND)
81) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at NYJ)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at PHI)
83) Jermar Jefferson | DET (vs. MIN)
84) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. CLE)
85) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at PHI)
86) Ty Chandler | MIN (at DET)
87) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at ARI)
88) Adam Prentice | NO (at TB)
89) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. LAC)
90) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. BUF)
91) George Holani | SEA (at LAR)
92) James Cook | BUF (at NE)
Vikings at Lions Trends and Insights
Minnesota Vikings
Team: Since the start of 2022, Minnesota has played two more games and won two more wins than any other team in games decided by a single score.
QB: Sam Darnold has 12 multi-pass touchdown games this season; only Joe Burrow has more (13).
Offense: Sunday was the third time this season that Minnesota has averaged over 40 yards per drive (they are 8-0 when averaging 32+ yards per drive).
Defense: Green Bay picked up 57.1% of their third downs against Minnesota last weekend, the highest rate the Vikings have allowed this season.
Fantasy: Jordan Addison ranks sixth among receivers with at least 75 targets this season in production over expectation (+28.9%, just ahead of Ladd McConkey and Ja’Marr Chase).
Betting: Minnesota is 4-1-1 ATS in their past six road divisional games.
Detroit Lions
Team: The Lions currently have a +200 point differential. Nine teams in the 2000s finished a regular season with such a mark—none of them won the Super Bowl.
QB: Jared Goff stands alone at the top of the NFL in terms of games with at least three touchdown passes and zero interceptions (six; Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are the only others with more than three).
Offense: Jahmyr Gibbs is now one touchdown away from tying the franchise record (Jamaal Williams and Barry Sanders currently hold the mark with 17).
Defense: Detroit allowed 55.4 yards per drive on Monday night, their worst defensive showing of the season.
Fantasy: Sam LaPorta has three straight games with 100 yards or a touchdown catch -- he had three such games all season prior to this run.
Betting: After a run where they covered eight straight home divisional games, the Lions are just 1-3-1 in their past five such spots.