Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Jordan Mason

Tuesday, July 29, 7:13 PM

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said at training camp on Tuesday that there's still no timeline for running back Najee Harris (eye) to return to practice. The Chargers will play their first preseason game on Thursday against the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame game, and Harris hasn't been on the practice field at all with his new team after injuring his eye during a fireworks accident back on the Fourth of July. The Chargers are optimistic that Harris will be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season in early September, but with him missing all this crucial practice time, the odds of rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton seizing lead-back work increases each day Harris is absent. The former Steelers RB has been consistent so far in his NFL career, but he lacks big-play ability and could be working behind Hampton all year.

Tuesday, July 29, 11:22 AM

The Minnesota Vikings made a sizable investment in running back Jordan Mason by signing him to a two-year contract worth $10.5 million this past offseason. According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Mason's playing time split with incumbent running back Aaron Jones will be "much closer" to 50-50 than previous RB1/RB2 splits in Minnesota under head coach Kevin O'Connell. In 12 games for the San Francisco 49ers last season, Mason logged 153 carries for 789 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't utilized much as a receiver (11 catches), but Vikings offensive coordinator reportedly referred to him as a "natural catching the ball." If Minnesota views Mason as a three-down back, he could be in a fairly even time share with the 30-year-old Jones, whom O'Connell has spoken openly about reducing the workload for. Now might be the time for fantasy managers to invest in Mason, as more buzz about his usage could send him rocketing up draft boards.