In the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Green Bay Packers got a surprisingly good game from AJ Dillon while Aaron Jones struggled. So, how will that impact your decision to choose one of these two to start in your fantasy football lineup? Let’s check out their fantasy outlook for Week 11 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Should You Start AJ Dillon or Aaron Jones This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Jones is the player to start. His projected 12.2 points include 47 rushing yards, three catches, and 22 receiving yards. That projected stat line outperforms the consensus projections of Dillon (7.1 points).
MORE: Tate’s Fantasy Football Week 11 RB Rankings
While it was a better week for Dillon last week, Jones is the more consistent running back and his ability to catch out of the backfield gives him the nod.
Fantasy Outlook for Dillon This Week
Dillon is tough to count on in fantasy, but he was solid last week against the Steelers. Despite only getting nine carries, Dillon still averaged 7.8 yards a carry and finished with 70 rushing yards, his second most of the season. The fact he got only nine carries is why he can’t be in your lineup, as he just doesn’t get it enough.
With Jones staying healthy and in the lineup, it’s difficult to see Dillon getting more carries than what he is right now. In the six games in which both have been in the lineup, Dillon is averaging 9.5 carries a game.
What really separates these two running backs is that Dillon isn’t a playmaker in the passing game. He has only 12 catches this year, and he has just one touchdown all season. With that in mind, he just doesn’t have the upside of his teammate Jones.
The Optimizer projects Dillon to finish with 29 rush yards, with two receptions for 11 yards.
Fantasy Outlook for Jones This Week
Two weeks ago, Jones had his best game of the year against the Los Angeles Rams. He touched the ball 20 times for 73 yards and scored a touchdown. As good as he was in that game, he was that bad against the Steelers. He rushed for only 35 yards in the loss to Pittsburgh
It wasn’t a great week for Jones, but don’t let one bad week make you completely change your mind. As he has continued to get further away from his injury, Jones has gotten more involved in the offense.
He touched the ball 24 times against the Rams, and even in the loss last week, Jones had 17 touches. These are Jones’ two biggest games of the season in terms of touches.
Plus, the Packers are going up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Chargers’ defense just allowed 200 rushing yards to the Detroit Lions last week, and they have allowed the second-most receptions to opposing running backs this season (61).
For much of the year, the Chargers have been on pace to be on one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, so Jones should be able to get a lot of catches.
Jones has caught four passes in each of the last three games, and he was targeted 17 times. That is good for fantasy football managers, and he could be in store for a huge day against the Chargers