Vikings Running Back Dynasty Outlook

Aaron Jones had one of the best seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, playing in all 17 games. It was just the third time in his career that he played in every game. He didn’t find the end zone as much as he would have preferred, but he has a positive dynasty outlook in 2025 and beyond.

Aaron Jones: Vikings Running Back Dynasty Outlook

Current performance

Jones finished the 2024 season with a career-high 1,138 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. As mentioned above, he only scored five touchdowns in his first season with the Vikings. Compared to his 2019 season with the Green Bay Packers, where he scored 16 times, five is significantly low.

He finished the year as RB16 in standard leagues and RB14 in PPR leagues. In standard formats, he averaged 11.2 points per game. game and 14.2 points per match. Regardless of the format, he’s a high-end RB2 for fantasy purposes. Jones finished ahead of players like JK Dobbins, David Montgomery and Joe Mixon (PPR only).

Cam Akers stole some touches as the season progressed to help keep the Vikings offense unpredictable. However, Jones was the workhorse back and will continue to be as long as they are in the playoffs. He averaged 15 carries per game in the regular season.

Aaron Jones Dynasty Price

KeepTradeCut lists Jones as the RB37 for the dynasty and the 129th player overall. Even if he remains productive, the problem is that he is 30 years old. Being 30 doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll decline, but holding back the durability is something you have to keep in mind.

Fantasy calc gives a list of all trades involving Jones. Even with age, his trade value fluctuates. Some are buying him for as much as a first-round pick, while others are giving him up for a third-round pick. If players are involved, he is sent off for Montgomery, Jerry Jeudy and Chuba Hubbard.

It is difficult to assess a player’s true value when the trades involving him have a drastic difference. The best rule of thumb is to keep extremes in mind and shoot for a price in the middle. In this case, a second-round pick for Jones would be reasonable.

Aaron Jones contract and expected salary

Spotrac shows Jones’ market value to be 5.6 million dollars and expect him to sign a one-year deal in the offseason. While that’s a low number by today’s NFL standards, there are still six teams that either don’t have enough cap space to sign Jones or are over the salary cap. The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams despite needing a running back.

Jones will have options in 2025, but there are three teams that stand out as good fits.

Minnesota Vikings

Returning to the Vikings would be ideal for Jones. He is familiar with the offense and Kevin O’Connell makes sure to get him 15-20 touches almost every game. Akers hasn’t proven he’s capable of being a starter, so a reunion makes sense for both parties.

Denver Broncos

The trio of Javonte Williams, Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin just don’t get it done. Estime and McLaughlin have a combined three years of experience, but they need someone else to step in as the starter. Jones would fit well with Bo Nix and Sean Payton in the Denver Broncos offense.

Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s becoming more likely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will move on from Najee Harris in the offseason and go in a different direction at running back. Jones is older than Harris, but he still produces better numbers. Pairing Jones with Jaylen Warren could help create the more effective 1-2 punch in the run-dominant Steelers offense.

What to do with Aaron Jones in Dynasty Leagues

Considering how he played this season, Jones isn’t losing value just yet. However, he probably only has one or two seasons left before his value drops. If you have him on your team, consider selling high, especially if your roster as a whole is older. If you don’t have him and need a running back, he could be a short-term solution until you find someone to take his place.

Main photo courtesy of Brad Rempel – Imagn Images