Aaron Jones is the clear the No. 1 option in the backfield for the Green Bay Packers. But will he continue to dominate the touches at the running back position? Or, will AJ Dillon be enough of a factor to start on your fantasy football team this week? Let’s take a look at the outlook for each player.
Should You Start Aaron Jones or AJ Dillon This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Jones is the player to start. His projected 12.6 points include 48 rushing yards, three receptions, and 22 receiving yards. That projected stat line outperforms the consensus projections for Dillon (8.0 points).
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My ranking for these two running backs aligns with the consensus. I expect Jones to receive the bulk of touches from the running back position again this week.
Fantasy Outlook for Jones This Week
Jones is coming off his best game since Week 1, finishing with 73 rushing yards — on 20 carries — and a touchdown, while also catching four passes for 26 yards in the Packers’ win over the Los Angeles Rams.
It’s clear after last week’s effort that Jones is back to being the every-down back for Green Bay. Not only were his carries a season-high, but his overall touches last week (24) were easily the most he’s had all season.
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding Jones these days is, after playing in three straight games for the first time all season and coming off a 20-carry game, will the Packers scale down his usage going forward?
Meeting with the media Wednesday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur let it be known that the Packers could give Jones another week of heavy work.
While LaFleur certainly wouldn’t mind that out of Jones, it’s worth noting that Jones hasn’t had 20 or more carries in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2019 season.
Seeing Jones potentially end up in the end zone with a touchdown could certainly add to his value as well.
Fantasy Outlook for Dillon This Week
According to USA Today Packers beat writer Ryan Wood, while LaFleur was hinting at another workload game for Jones isn’t out of the picture, he also said that Dillon “is playing his best ball of the year right now.”
That part is certainly up for debate. Although it’s clear LaFleur likes having Dillon in the backfield — he was on the field for 40% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps last week, though that was a season-low — how much a part of the offense he will be going forward is a fair question.
In the last game that Jones missed (Week 5), Dillon had a season-high 20 touches. But in the three games that followed, all with Jones in the lineup, Dillon’s touches have been in decline, going from 17 to 11 to 10 last week.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Dillon to finish with 33 rush yards and two catches for 12 yards.
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