For fantasy football managers who drafted Aaron Jones in 2023, it has been a frustrating season. Jones has missed two of the first four weeks before struggling on his return last time out. Despite an 11-day gap between games, Jones is once again not a certainty to be on the field when the Green Bay Packers face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.
Let’s take a look at whether Jones is set to be playing in Week 5 and what his status means for fantasy managers this week.
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Is Aaron Jones Going To Play Week 5?
The situation with Jones’ hamstring injury this week appears to be very much a game-time decision. It was not a major shock when Jones started the week limited. As a veteran RB, it would make sense for them to manage his workload during practice to ensure he is at his peak for games.
However, Jones’ inability to progress beyond limited has led to him being listed as questionable for Week 5.
RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) did not immediately go outside for the start of practice and instead stayed in the Hutson Center to stretch as the media viewing period ended. He practiced on a limited basis the last two days.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 7, 2023
There was some alarm Saturday morning when Jones was not seen on the practice field, but head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that Jones was present when he spoke to the media.
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The general belief was that Jones should be available in Week 5, but on Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Jones may be unlikely to suit up. Pelissero then later reported that Jones is indeed set to be inactive in Week 5. Even if Jones does play, his workload is also a question for fantasy managers, with the Packers also having RB AJ Dillon available.
How Should Fantasy Managers Handle Jones in Week 5?
Fantasy analysis was written on Sunday morning.
What to do with Jones in Week 5 is extremely tough to judge. Best-case scenario, you have someone like Dillon, Jayden Reed, or Jakobi Meyers on your roster that you could use as an emergency Flex if Jones is unavailable. If he is active, it is hard to bench Jones — he is always capable of breaking a big play.
The problem becomes if you do not have an emergency Monday Night Football option and your waiver wire is bare. In that circumstance, the risk with Jones may simply be too much. We have no idea how much of a workload Jones may be able to handle as he deals with this lingering hamstring issue.
Adding to the concern is the fact that Jones did not have a huge number of touches in Week 4. He carried the ball five times and was targeted just twice in the loss to the Lions. However, that game is tough to trust because the Lions got up early in the game, and the Packers may well have decided not to risk Jones more than they should have.
Ultimately, how you approach Jones comes down to your other options. If you have a full lineup that ranks highly in PFN’s Consensus Fantasy Rankings, you may decide it is not worth risking Jones. However, if you are struggling due to bye weeks, you may have to take the risk. If the second one of those is the choice you make, it would be prudent to use your waiver wire to put some insurance on your roster just in case.