The Minnesota Vikings' offense is off to a slow start. First-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy has looked overwhelmed, while starting running back Aaron Jones has struggled on the ground. To make matters worse, Jones was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with a hamstring injury. That development was likely a blow to some fantasy football managers.
But what is one's trash is another's treasure. In this case, fantasy managers who own Jordan Mason.
On Wednesday, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell made a statement about the plan with Mason that will fire up his fantasy owners.
“I'm not sure we could have much more confidence in Jordan as a bell cow kind of back.”
The NFL has mostly gone away from using a bell cow in the backfield. Most teams employ a timeshare in the backfield. But that does not appear to be the case in Minnesota, at least until Jones returns.
The Vikings lack experienced depth at the position behind Mason. Not only is Jones on IR, but so is Ty Chandler. That leaves only Zavier Scott and Mason on the active depth chart.
Jones' injury is precisely why the Vikings traded with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Mason this offseason. Through two games, he looked like the better back.
Mason has 98 yards rushing on 24 carries. Whereas Jones had just 48 yards on 13 carries. The latter did, however, reel in a long touchdown through the air against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
This week, the Vikings host the Cincinnati Bengals. That bodes well for Mason's chances of having a breakout performance.
The Bengals lost Joe Burrow for three months with turf toe. Their defense has looked weak once again this year. The game script bleeds opportunity for the 26-year-old tailback to get volume and red zone touches.
McCarthy will not play this week with a high ankle sprain. In his absence, Minnesota will turn to veteran QB Carson Wentz. Normally, losing a starting quarterback potentially hurts the running back's chances at fantasy football success.
But with how poorly McCarthy had played, Wentz is likely an upgrade.
