Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones or Miles Sanders

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, June 11, 9:34 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Miles Sanders got some more work with the first-team offense on Wednesday at mandatory minicamp, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Nick Harris. So far at minicamp, it's been Sanders and Javonte Williams getting the work with the starting offense. In addition to adding Sanders and Williams in free agency this offseason, the Cowboys took Jaydon Blue (fifth round) and Phil Mafah (seventh round) in this year's NFL draft. A committee situation will most likely develop in 2025 among Sanders, Williams and Blue, making Dallas' backfield pretty ugly for fantasy purposes. Sanders had his first 1,000-yard season in his final season in Philly in 2022 before falling off a cliff with 637 rushing yards, three TDs and 3.5 yards per carry in 2023 and 2024. He's unlikely to see the volume needed for a bounce-back and is ranked as the No. 74 RB at RotoBaller entering 2025.