Can Aaron Jones Be a Fantasy Football Value With the Vikings?

Among the flurry of moves the Minnesota Vikings have made to begin free agency, they elected to re-sign veteran running back Aaron Jones. Jones has earned a two-year, $20 million contract with the Vikings just one season after joining Minnesota following a seven-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers.

In his debut season for the Vikings, Jones immediately became a fan favorite and emerged as the team's top option in the backfield alongside quarterback Sam Darnold, who is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks. With a new quarterback under center for Minnesota next season, can Jones be a running back to target in fantasy football?

Amid a myriad of changes for the Vikings this offseason, let's take a look at Jones' stats from last season, Minnesota's recent offensive line additions, and Jones' outlook in fantasy football for the 2025 campaign.

Aaron Jones' 2024 NFL Stats

Along with receiving a career-high 255 rushing attempts in 2024 with the Vikings, Jones notched a career-best 1,138 rushing yards. Jones also added 51 receptions, 408 receiving yards, and 7 total touchdowns in his first year in Minnesota.

The only running backs to record 1,000-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards a season ago were Jones, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and James Conner. That being said, Jones still finished as just the RB16 overall and RB20 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats this past season, largely due to scoring just five rushing touchdowns.

During his age-30 season, Jones proved that he can still be an effective weapon, registering a solid 0.17 rushing yards over expected per attempt (via NextGenStats) while being active in all 17 regular-season contests for the Vikings. Earning a 63.2% red-zone rushing share, 12.0% target share, and 46.0% route rate were also positives for Jones during the regular season in 2024.

The Vikings' Offensive Line Signings

The Vikings have been adamant about strengthening the interior of their offensive line since the start of the legal tampering period. The offensive line was part of the reason why Minnesota was outscored by a combined score of 58-18 in Week 18 and the Wild Card Round, so the front office knew it had to improve in the trenches.

As a result, the Vikings have already signed center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries to begin NFL free agency. Kelly has started in 121 games across his nine years with the Indianapolis Colts, who were fourth in run-block win rate in 2024.

Fries has also been an integral piece along Indy's offensive front in recent years, making 31 starts over the past three seasons. Even though Fries was limited to five starts last season, PFF handed him the 6th-best run-blocking grade and 18th-best pass-blocking grade among guards.

Aaron Jones' 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

At the moment, Jones is slated to be Minnesota's lead back for the second straight season. But Jones' new contract with the Vikings isn't enough to prevent the runner-ups in the NFC North from addressing the running back position during the 2025 NFL Draft, as they likely want to decrease his workload entering his ninth season.

Even if Minnesota doesn't select a running back early in the draft, Jones will be turning 31 years old during the 2025 campaign, and he's played through multiple injuries in recent years. On top of that, there is some optimism surrounding J.J. McCarthy entering his second year in the NFL, but it remains to be seen if he can even produce at the level that Sam Darnold did a season ago.

Once again, Jones had a career year with the Vikings in 2024, and he still managed to finish as just RB20 in fantasy points per game. Despite the Vikings still having an impressive skill group and a revamped offensive line, Jones doesn't possess a high enough ceiling for me to believe he'll return plenty of value in 2025.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.