Fantasy football managers may be starting to experience injury report fatigue with Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones, who has been on the team’s injury report for every single game since the season opener against the Chicago Bears.
Let’s take a closer look at the most recent news we have on Jones and the potential fantasy impact this injury could have on the Packers’ offense.
Latest Injury Update on Aaron Jones
Update: Jones has been ruled OUT for Week 13’s matchup against the Chiefs.
Jones missed last week’s game while dealing with a knee injury and was a limited participant in the first practice of the week, according to the Packers’ injury report.
Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur did address Jones’ possible return to the lineup and how he looked in Wednesday’s practice while talking to the media on Wednesday.
“He looked pretty good. He was limited,” said LaFleur. He added, “We’ll see how he’s feeling,” with regard to his status for Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Will Jones Play This Week?
Jones has a lengthy track record of limited participation in practice throughout the season while he’s dealt with a hamstring injury. But this knee issue feels separate and really can’t give us an idea of what to expect this week.
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Jones would regularly log limited practices all week while dealing with his hamstring injury and still see a full workload on game day, so it’s within the range of outcomes something similar could take place this week.
However, it would be far more encouraging for fantasy shareholders of Jones to see him log a full practice or two before the week closes. Ultimately, his limited participation in Wednesday’s practice certainly has him potentially on the right track to return to the field on Sunday.
What Does This Mean for AJ Dillon’s Fantasy Ranking?
The biggest beneficiary of any injury to Jones is usually backup RB AJ Dillon. He has seen consistent work out of the backfield all season, whether Jones has played or not.
The Packers’ offense has certainly shown some signs of life over the last four games, but the team still hasn’t been able to establish any semblance of a consistent running game throughout the 2023 season.
However, complicating matters for fantasy managers in this backfield is that Dillon was listed as a non-participant for Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury. If both players can’t go on Sunday, Patrick Taylor would be the next man in line for an expanded role.
If Jones can play against the Chiefs, he’ll remain a very shaky RB2 option for fantasy managers.
It’s hard to rank a talent like Jones outside of my top 20 running backs. Yet, his hamstring injury that has lingered throughout the season, combined with his current ailing knee and the aforementioned struggles of Green Bay’s offense, make him very tough to trust in your fantasy lineup at the moment against a tough defense like Kansas City’s.
MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 13 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
If Jones is unavailable against the Chiefs, then Dillon or Taylor will get a slight bump in the weekly fantasy rankings and likely sneak inside the top 35 at the RB position for Week 13.
Kansas City’s defense has only allowed an average of 22.2 points per game, which makes them the third-best scoring defense in the league through the first 12 weeks of the season.
Regardless of whoever is the leading back for the Packers on Sunday, the fantasy ceiling likely isn’t going to crack the top 15 running backs in Week 13.
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