Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Christian Kirk

Wednesday, December 31, 7:15 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (hip) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a hip injury. Meanwhile, fellow RB Jordan Mason (ankle) returned to a limited session after missing the Week 17 Christmas Day win over the Detroit Lions. With Mason injured the last two weeks, Jones has handled 44 touches for 156 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. But now the 31-year-old is dealing with an injury of his own, putting his status up in the air for the Week 18 regular-season finale this Sunday against the division-rival Green Bay Packers. With Mason trending towards a return to close out the year, Jones figures to be spelled more often by Mason if both RBs are active this weekend. In the first meeting with Green Bay back on Nov. 23, Jones carried the ball nine times for 41 yards and caught three passes for 16 yards.

Friday, December 26, 9:03 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk is coming off one of his best games of the season last week against the Raiders, as the veteran played his most snaps (39) since Week 9 and had his most targets (5) since Week 12. He'll have a tougher matchup this week against the Chargers on Saturday and is a high-risk play for fantasy purposes since his role is still extremely shaky. He finishes second on the team in receiving yards and tied for second in targets last week, though, so it's possible he'll continue to trend up as the Texans continue their playoff push. Since he only has 25 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown this season, Kirk is a high-risk option in this tough matchup in Los Angeles, and he's just the No. 67 WR in RotoBaller's rankings. He can be left on the bench or waiver wire in most leagues, but it is worth monitoring his involvement to see if last week's performance was a matchup-based outlier or the start of a trend.