Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones or Kenneth Walker III

Monday, April 7, 12:27 PM

The Minnesota Vikings have running back Aaron Jones penciled in as their starting RB again in 2025 after paying him more to return ($20 million over two seasons). However, ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that new RB Jordan Mason isn't going to be a typical backup after they acquired him in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has been very clear that he wants to pull back on Jones' usage after he set career-highs in snaps (700), rushing attempts (255) and total touches (306) in 2024. "When he has historically had that 1A/1B backfield structure, he can be a total game-changer every time he touches the ball," O'Connell said. "So it was always about bringing Aaron back ... but what are we going to pair him with?" It's obviously bad news for Jones' chances of an RB1 finish in fantasy in 2025, with Mason expected to be used in short-yardage and goal-line situations for the Vikes.

Wednesday, July 23, 8:12 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (ankle) was limited during spring workouts with an ankle injury but was a full-go on Day 1 of training camp on Wednesday. "He looks great. He's in a great spot mentally. Awesome to see him do all the things we want him to do from the get-go. I know he's really excited about what's going on. Great first day with Ken," head coach Mike Macdonald said. An ankle injury limited Walker to one appearance in the last five weeks of the 2024 season, but he appears to be recovered and ready to prove that he's still the team's No. 1 back over Zach Charbonnet. Walker has been plenty productive for fantasy managers when he's been healthy, but the problem is that he always seems to be dealing with a lower-body injury. Seattle could decide to give Charbonnet a bigger role in 2025 to help keep Walker healthy, making him a risk/reward RB2 in fantasy.