Aaron Jones put together a dominant performance in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, but a hamstring injury has sidelined him during practice this week for the Green Bay Packers. What’s the latest injury news surrounding Jones, and should fantasy football managers now be looking at AJ Dillon as a solid start in Week 2?
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What Happened to Aaron Jones?
Jones was on his way to a monstrous performance against Chicago last week before he pulled up at the end of a long touchdown reception holding his hamstring. Unfortunately, Jones has now spent the week sidelined at Packers practice and has yet to log a full session.
Christian Watson (hamstring) went outside with the team after stretch but Aaron Jones (hamstring) did not.
Quay Walker (concussion protocol) practicing for the second straight day.
David Bakhtiari did not practice. pic.twitter.com/nYvlzDhQIX
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 15, 2023
This is likely always an indication that a player is set to miss the next game, which means that fantasy managers can now look at the second option in this Green Bay backfield in a plus matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
What Are Green Bay’s Options If Jones Misses Time?
The good news for Green Bay is that they have another solid option waiting in the wings that’s ready to take on a substantial workload if needed. Dillon certainly does not possess the same playmaking upside that Jones does, but he can easily handle 20+ touches for this Packers offense against the Falcons.
This means that fantasy managers should feel confident starting Dillon as a mid-range RB2 in Week 2 if Jones is not able to suit up. If Jones is cleared to play this week, Dillon can still be started as Jones is unlikely to see his usual workload, but he would move down towards a low-end RB2 in that instance.
What Does This Mean for Jones’ Fantasy Ranking?
If Jones is not able to suit up in Week 2, he would take a slight tumble down our rest-of-season rankings, but this shouldn’t be an injury that sidelines him for an extended period of time.
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If he is able to make it back in time for Sunday, it’s highly likely that he’s out there as a decoy or as a spark-plug option for this offense with just a handful of snaps. Fantasy managers shouldn’t be expecting to play Jones this week — they should begin making contingency plans.