When will Aaron Jones return and play? Will Aaron Jones be back again this season? Read the latest Aaron Jones injury updates and return date for Week 4 (2025).
After a productive debut season in Minnesota, Aaron Jones carried solid low-end RB2 value heading into 2025 drafts as he was projected to maintain a similar role this upcoming season.
However, in their second game against the Atlanta Falcons, Jones exited early with a hamstring injury.
When will Aaron Jones Sr. return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
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Aaron Jones Injury Update
Following their Week 2 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, the veteran RB was placed on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. As a result, Jones will not be eligible to return until Week 8 at the earliest. He would be eligible to return in Week 7, but the Vikings have their bye during that week.
Seeing the team immediately place Jones on the IR following this game suggests this injury may be serious and could keep him sidelined for an extended period.
Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status as we approach his activation date, as a return to practice could suggest he remains on track to meet his Week 8 return.
Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injuryhttps://t.co/6WlsUMt7of
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 16, 2025
Aaron Jones Fantasy Football Outlook
During the first two games of the season, Jones did not appear to have as sizable a role in the backfield as he did in 2024. In Week 1, Jones took just eight carries (for 23 yards) and was targeted three times. He caught all three of 44 yards and a touchdown. Before exiting in Week 2, Jones logged five carries for 23 yards and was unable to catch his lone target.
Given his limited role as a rusher, No. 2 option Jordan Mason has led the team in rushing in each of their three games. While Jones could reclaim his role as a pass-catcher, Mason figures to be the primary option in early-down and short-yardage situations.
In the season opener, Mason took 15 carries for 68 yards. Then, with Jones sidelined in Week 3, Mason enjoyed a breakout showing, totaling 116 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries.
If Mason continues to perform at this level, Jones may be eased into action, which will limit his fantasy upside going forward. While managers in 12-team formats with an IR spot on their roster should continue to stash Jones, they should not expect him to return to low-end RB2 value later in the season.
Given Mason's dominant showing in Week 3, he will carry low-end RB1 upside with Jones sidelined and should remain a solid RB2 once Jones returns, as he will likely remain the team's primary running back. Jones projects to be a viable FLEX option in PPR formats as he should operate as the team's primary third-down option.
However, his upside will be significantly limited due to Mason's emergence.
Jordan Mason Could Have Bellcow Workload https://t.co/X8OFOg0rB1
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 18, 2025
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Cam Skattebo, Jordan Addison, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 4. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Cam Skattebo, Jordan Addison, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 4 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Chase Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Quinshon Judkins, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Cam Skattebo, Jordan Addison, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard compared to others:
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