Who Should I Start? Jordan Mason or Kaleb Johnson

Friday, November 7, 6:14 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason faces a friendly matchup against a Baltimore Ravens team that has struggled to stop the run for large portions of the year, but it remains to be seen how the Vikings will allocate carries in their backfield in Week 10. Fellow running back Aaron Jones Sr. (shoulder, toe) left last week's game and is questionable to play against the Ravens, which offers a range of possibilities for Mason. Jones was the more effective option last week in a key victory against Detroit, and though Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell has expressed optimism about Jones playing this week, Mason would be the featured option if Jones were to miss the game. The Vikings have ridden the hot hand when both backs have been available, which can be challenging to predict for fantasy purposes. But with Mason facing a good matchup and still getting a reasonable amount of work alongside Jones, he's a playable RB3/flex option in most formats.

Friday, November 7, 7:59 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson was going as a late-round flier with upside in fantasy drafts this fall, but he was quickly sent to the waiver wire. The 22-year-old third-rounder out of Iowa has been a distant third on Pittsburgh's RB depth chart behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell this year, and he didn't help himself with a costly special-teams blunder early in the season. So far through his first five NFL games, Johnson has handled only 15 rushing attempts for 40 yards (2.7 yards per carry) while catching one of his two targets for nine yards. He played five offensive snaps in last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts, which was actually an improvement after not playing at all the previous two games. It will take an injury to Warren or Gainwell for Johnson to get more involved, which means he's only stash-worthy in fantasy football in dynasty/keeper leagues.