Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or James Cook III

Wednesday, July 15, 5:49 AM

In his second season with the Minnesota Vikings, running back Aaron Jones Sr. was limited to only 548 rushing yards and two scores on the ground while missing five games with a variety of injuries, including a hamstring issue that landed him on injured reserve. An additional 199 receiving yards and one more touchdown through the air allowed him to maintain a serviceable fantasy floor when he was available, but along with former undrafted free agent Jordan Mason, he formed one of the less inspired running back committees in 2025. The Vikings finished in the bottom half of the league in terms of both rushing yards and touchdowns, making it all the more surprising that the team opted to make so few changes to the room for 2026. Minnesota spent a sixth-round pick on Wake Forest's Demond Claiborne, but at only 195 pounds, his role could be limited to little more than change-of-pace duties as a rookie. The offensive line should see better health in 2026, and free agent acquisition Kyler Murray represents a dramatic potential improvement at the quarterback position, so the Vikings could be banking on better cohesion and functionality to lift the offense as a whole, and with it the running game. No longer a player to actively target in fantasy drafts, Jones has fallen to RotoBaller's RB38 for 2026. Still, he should continue to provide usable value from the flex spot for as long as he can hold off Claiborne as the team's primary pass-catching back.