Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Austin Ekeler

Tuesday, September 9, 9:21 AM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. found the end zone for the Vikings in their comeback win on Monday Night Football over the Bears. He finished with three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown and added 23 rushing yards on his eight carries. While the touchdown and receiving production kept his Week 1 production solid, he ended up with fewer snaps and carries than Jordan Mason. Mason played 30 snaps and took his 15 carries for a team-high 68 rushing yards, while Jones played 28 snaps and ran more routes than Mason. It looks like a fairly even timeshare overall, making both backs usable but also touchdown-dependent moving forward. Jones and Mason's next matchup will be another primetime contest against the Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Wednesday, September 10, 4:31 PM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler operated mostly as the team's lead back in Week 1 against the Giants, leading the backfield with 32 snaps out of 65 plays. He only touched the ball nine times for the game, but was again efficient with 57 yards. The roles are still fairly fluid in the Washington backfield, but Week 1 could be instructive for how it might look going forward. Washington essentially gave Ekeler and Croskey-Merritt their own drives against the Giants, which is interesting. Ekeler was out-carried by Croskey-Merritt 10 to six, and the rookie could continue to earn more touches as the season goes on. Ekeler faces another stiff test against the Packers' defense that held Lions superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs to just 50 yards on 19 touches. He should be looked at as a quality FLEX with projectable volume for Week 2.