Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones or Rhamondre Stevenson

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.

Saturday, July 26, 11:37 AM

The Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan reports that New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is missing at Saturday's training camp practice, and no reason was given for his absence. We should have an update to pass along shortly on why Stevenson isn't practicing, but it could be just a day off for him early in camp with the players just wearing shells and not full pads. Stevenson's fantasy stock has definitely fallen going into the 2025 campaign, even though he ran for 801 yards on 207 carries for a career-high seven rushing touchdowns in 15 games (14 starts). The 27-year-old continued to have ball-security issues and averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry. If his fumbling issues don't improve, the Pats will surely bench Stevenson in 2025 after they drafted TreVeyon Henderson in the second round in April. He has become a volatile RB3/flex in fantasy.