It seems fantasy managers are waiting on a weekly basis for the latest injury update on Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones. Jones has been questionable or ruled out of every game the Packers have played so far this season. However, with the Packers on bye last week, it did give Jones a chance to get healthier and give him every chance of playing this week.
Therefore, is Jones playing today? And, if he is, what is his fantasy outlook for today?
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Is Aaron Jones Going To Play Week 7?
Jones has been managing a hamstring injury over the last few weeks. It has held him out of previous games this season — although he has managed to practice every day this week, albeit in a limited capacity.
However, with the Packers coming off the bye week, Jones has had more time to recover and get healthier. But has he had enough time?
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported a positive update this morning regarding Jones. He posted on X this morning, “Packers RB Aaron Jones, who’s listed as questionable because of his hamstring injury, intends to play today against the #broncos, barring a setback, per source.”
As it appears Jones will play today, let’s take a look at his fantasy outlook.
What Is Jones’ Potential Fantasy Outlook Today?
Jones is currently ranked as the RB13 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings as of this morning. Jones has an excellent matchup against the Denver Broncos this week.
The Broncos coming into Week 7: The team giving up the most fantasy points to running backs in the NFL. They are conceding 35.9 half-PPR points to running backs per game, which is 4.4 more points than the Carolina Panthers in second and 10.3 points more than the Arizona Cardinals in third.
AJ Dillon, in his absence, has also been unspectacular. Dillon has only amassed 1.8 PPR fantasy points than Jones so far this season, despite playing almost four games more than him so far this season.
The Packers have struggled without Jones. In their last three games, which Jones has missed almost in their entirety, the Packers are passing 13% more. This is partly due to the opposition they have faced. However, it is also partly due to the fact Dillon has been poor.
The Packers, not entirely happy with Dillon, have signed James Robinson to their roster. This should not be viewed as a roster move to threaten Jones, however. Dillon’s poor play means while fantasy managers might have feared a more committee approach to the Packers’ play this season, these fears have been quashed.
While Jones won’t have a bell-cow role today as he is just returning, I would expect him to play on over 60% of snaps. This is more than he was playing in games last season. Therefore, fantasy managers should be confident in seeing a solid return from Jones today.
And, with a plus matchup against the Broncos, there is no reason why Jones can’t push himself into RB1 contention this week and return fantasy managers a sizable points total.