Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Jonathan Taylor

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.

Sunday, December 21, 12:30 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is a superb fantasy start for his Monday night home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Taylor remained the Colts' workhorse in Week 15's loss to the Seahawks, notching his eighth game of the campaign with at least 80 rushing yards, handling his second-highest carry total of the season (25). It's worth noting that veteran backfield mate Ameer Abdullah has seen an increased snap share across the previous two weeks, though it shouldn't affect Taylor's position as a locked-in RB1, even against a sound 49ers' rush defense. San Fran has been stingy to opposing ground games, yielding the twelfth-fewest rushing yards per contest (106.1). That said, they've allowed RBs to rack up the second-most receptions of any squad (78). Veteran signal-caller Philip Rivers adds an extra variable to the equation, but that should mean that Indy will continue to rely on the rushing attack as they try to remain in playoff contention. Fantasy managers can fire up the 26-year-old as RotoBaller's PPR RB6 for Week 16's slate of action.