Who Should I Start? Jordan Mason or RJ Harvey

Tuesday, August 5, 11:49 AM

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason was viewed as a "massive" part of Minnesota's offseason plan, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. During the spring, the Vikings acquired Mason via a trade. During the 2024 campaign, Mason emerged as a key contributor to the San Francisco rushing attack when Christian McCaffrey was sidelined. On a career-high 153 carries, Mason tallied 789 yards and three scores. During the first seven weeks, Mason flashed RB1 upside as he averaged a strong 14.8 PPR points per game and averaged 95.3 yards per game during this stretch. In addition, reports from Vikings camp suggest the team views him and veteran Aaron Jones as "Co-RB1s." While Jones will likely see the slight majority of carries, Mason possesses much higher upside given his age and speed. He is worth viewing as a standalone flex option and a high-upside handcuff if Jones were to miss time.

Saturday, August 9, 11:13 PM

Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey earned the majority of the early down work in the team's first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Veteran J.K. Dobbins mixed in with Harvey, but mostly served as the third-down back. Harvey and Dobbins are expected to share the majority of the backfield workload in Denver this season. However, their usage against San Francisco could be a window into how Broncos head coach Sean Payton envisions deploying his running backs when the games start to count. Harvey profiles as a borderline RB2/RB3 in fantasy with clear upside if he can play well enough to dominate playing time in the Denver backfield.