After Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones left last week’s game against the Seahawks with a knee injury, will fantasy managers be without Jones in Week 11, or is he playing this week? Let’s take a look at Jones’ status for Week 11, who could step up for the Packers in his place, and the fantasy football impact.
Is Aaron Jones playing today against the Vikings?
Jones will not be able to take the field for the Packers in Week 11 after he spent all week on the Packers’ injury report as a non-participant in practice. Jones’ injury is not as serious as it could have been, and the fact the Packers have not placed him on the IR ahead of Week 11 emphasizes that.
If Jones had been placed on the IR, he would have been out until at least Week 15. That is because any player placed on IR must miss three games, and the Packers have a bye in Week 13. Therefore, the Packers must feel reasonably confident that Jones has a chance to return in either Week 12 or 14. The game against the Rams seems too soon, so the matchup with the Bears in Week 14 seems the most likely option.
AJ Dillon will start in place of Jones this week
AJ Dillon has been the clear second option for the Packers this season. He has 97 rushing attempts to Jones’ 123. However, 21 of those attempts came last week when Jones was injured.
That was the first time this season Dillon has had 20 or more carries and only the fourth time with more than 10. In Week 10, he managed just 66 yards on those 21 carries but did add 62 yards on 2 receptions.
Dillon has not been as proficient catching the ball this year as Jones. The former Boston College RB has just 16 receptions on 18 targets compared to Jones’ 37 receptions on 47 targets.
Dillon’s numbers look good, with 196 yards at 12.3 yards per reception. Yet, 50 of those yards came on 1 catch, leaving him with just 146 yards on the other 15 receptions. Still good numbers, but significantly lower.
What are the ramifications for fantasy managers?
This is obviously a blow for Jones’ fantasy managers. The Packers RB has been an interesting fantasy option this season. He sits as the RB9 in terms of total fantasy points in half-PPR formats. However, in terms of fantasy points per game, he is tied as the RB17 at 12.4.
The biggest problem has been a lack of consistency. Jones has scored 20+ fantasy points twice but below 10 on four occasions. While he is not a player you ever consider sitting, the highs and lows of his performances have been frustrating for anyone that drafted him.
Dillon should step right in to replace Jones as the starter, but whether he will have any more consistency is tough to know. He had 25.8 fantasy points last week but managed just 3.1 rushing yards per attempt. His 2 touchdowns and a 50-yard reception are what made his day.
The Vikings are the 11th-worst defense in fantasy points allowed to running backs (24.88). On average, they allow 24.88 fantasy points to the position and have allowed 10 touchdowns to RBs this season. Dillon should see the majority of RB touches, and assuming the Packers keep this game close or have a lead, he should be in line for at least 15-20 touches.