Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Breece Hall

Wednesday, December 24, 3:36 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (ankle) has been a reliable, if unremarkable, fantasy option this year, but he finds himself in RB3 territory as Minnesota prepares to host the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. Due to injuries to starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy (hand) and backup Carson Wentz (shoulder), the Vikings are down to third-stringer Max Brosmer, an undrafted rookie. Already without left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), the Vikings also ruled out center Ryan Kelly (concussion) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), while right tackle Brian O'Neill (heel) is questionable. Jones figures to get most of the running back work with fellow running back Jordan Mason (ankle) injured, but the Vikings' offense is a shell of what it was even two weeks ago. Detroit ranks 12th against half-PPR running backs, and the Lions surely will be keying on the run in an effort to put pressure on Brosmer. Managers will have to weigh whether Jones dominating the backfield is worth the risk of relying upon an offense counting on so many reserves.

Saturday, December 20, 10:17 AM

New York Jets running back Breece Hall is coming off one of his worst performances of the season in last weekend's road loss to the Jaguars, but he will look to rebound against a porous New Orleans Saints rush defense in Week 16. The Nebraska native tied a season-low percentage of team plays last Sunday (54%) while totaling 35 scrimmage yards on 14 combined touches. It was a disappointing output for him, even in a less-than-ideal matchup. Despite not missing any time in practice this week while designated with a knee injury, it's unclear if the issue played a part in his Week 15 workload. Fortunately, New Orleans presents as a much more favorable matchup, and he'll have a chance to bounce back against a unit that's yielded 130.6 yards per game on the ground to the opposition (seventh-most). Hall will still be a risky play with rookie Brady Cook under center, but slots in as a low-end RB2, and, officially, RotoBaller's PPR RB18 for this week's slate of action.