Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Jaylen Warren

Tuesday, September 30, 6:33 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) is targeting a return in Week 8. Jones suffered the injury late in Week 2's loss to the Falcons and was placed on injured reserve afterward. With the Vikings entering the bye in Week 6, that means Jones' next opportunity to return is in Week 8, where they face the Los Angeles Chargers on a Thursday Night. The veteran has a lengthy history of hamstring issues, and with Jordan Mason performing well during his absence, Jones may struggle to reclaim his early-season workload. Fantasy managers should prepare for a potential timeshare rather than a full return to feature-back duties.

Tuesday, September 30, 7:04 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (knee) was a surprise inactive before Week 4's win over the Minnesota Vikings. In his absence, Kenneth Gainwell exploded for 134 total yards and two touchdowns. Though Gainwell's performance could earn him more volume in the coming weeks, Warren was very effective as a pass-catcher through his first three games with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and should reclaim RB1 duties when he returns. The utilization of Darnell Washington in Pittsburgh's offense seemed to open up running lanes last week, so fantasy managers should be optimistic about Warren's potential going forward. The 26-year-old will now have the bye in Week 5 to get healthy ahead of a divisional bout with the stingy Cleveland Browns defense.