Who Should I Start? Jordan Mason or MarShawn Lloyd

Wednesday, April 2, 9:44 AM

It sounds as though Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, will have a notable role in the team's backfield in 2025 as the "1b" behind starter Aaron Jones. "I do think Jordan's gonna bring something to the table in those short-yardage situations, those goal-line situations, goal-to-go, where we've really left a lot to be desired as a football team," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. If healthy, Jones should be Minnesota's go-to guy on the early downs and on third down in obvious passing situations, but the presence of Mason as the potential goal-line guy for the Vikes could be bad news for Jones' fantasy ceiling and floor this upcoming season. Mason, 25, has averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry in his three years in the NFL and looked good filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey in 2025. He'll be a handcuff to Jones but could also be in play as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in deeper leagues.

Wednesday, January 8, 9:14 PM

Per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd (appendix, hamstring) has been transferred to injured reserve, and his season is officially over. The 24-year-old was moved to injured reserve from the reserve/non-football illness list after recovering from appendicitis but still experiencing issues with his hamstring. It's a lost season for the rookie, who appeared in one game -- Week 2 in the team's win over the Indianapolis Colts -- playing ten snaps. Lloyd injured his hamstring in the preseason but was healthy enough to be active for their meeting with the Colts. However, he'd suffer a severe ankle sprain that would keep him out of action -- and on IR -- for seven weeks. Upon his return to team activities, he re-aggravated the hamstring injury suffered in the summer but would need immediate surgery on his appendix. Though he could recover from his surgery, the hamstring ailment is still an issue. The Packers plan to send the first-year pro to the same institute that wideout Christian Watson (knee) attended last offseason in an effort to quell the hamstring issues he had since his rookie season. While Watson just had his year cut short by a knee injury, he did not miss a single contest because of his hamstring in 2024. We'll see Lloyd again in 2025.