The Minnesota Vikings will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Aaron Jones.
Is Aaron Jones Playing in Week 13?
Jones is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Vikings’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Aaron Jones in Week 13?
Jones had himself an up-and-down Week 12 in Chicago, but he finished with 129 yards and a score, a level of production we will take every single time.
Jones lost a goal-line fumble on the first drive, but the team didn’t blink and continued to bank on him as their bellcow. He rewarded them with a 41-yard run later in the first half and, when all was said and done, his third RB1 finish of the season.
I still think Cam Akers is a handcuff back work rostering, but this isn’t a committee, and the safe volume is going to land Jones inside of my top 20 every week moving forward. The Cardinals are allowing points on 43.7% of opponent drives this season (seventh-worst) and the Vikings project to be dictating the tempo in this spot.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Aaron Jones’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of Thursday morning, Jones is projected to score 13.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 15.9 rushing attempts for 78 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. It also includes 1.2 receptions for 17.6 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Falcons' Defense
Raheem Morris' arrival was supposed to build upon the good work of the Atlanta Falcons defense in 2023, not send it back to square one. Unfortunately, that's the case right now, and it's threatening to derail a season that once held so much promise.
If the Falcons slide out of a playoff spot thanks to their defense, Morris could find himself under a lot of pressure this offseason.
Despite ranking 29th on the year, the defense is coming off a week where it ranked first out of all 32 teams. There was a lot of good regarding Atlanta's play this past week, largely revolving around improved pressure up front and the ability to limit the Chargers in key situations, such as third down and inside the 20-yard line.
The Falcons hope to carry forward the improvement in pressure rate without blitzing and sack rate. To this point, they've ranked 30th (25.6%) in pressure rate without blitzing and 32nd (3.6%) in sack rate. They also have the 29th-ranked third-down defense, allowing conversion 44.7% of the time.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Aaron Jones’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:40 AM ET on Sunday, December 8. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 14 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at CAR)
2) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at MIN)
3) De'Von Achane | MIA (vs. NYJ)
4) Chase Brown | CIN (at DAL)
5) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at GB)
6) Alvin Kamara | NO (at NYG)
7) James Cook | BUF (at LAR)
8) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. DET)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. MIN)
10) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. LV)
11) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. JAX)
12) David Montgomery | DET (at GB)
13) James Conner | ARI (vs. SEA)
14) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. PHI)
15) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. NO)
16) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at ARI)
17) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CLE)
18) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. CIN)
19) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at SF)
20) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LAC)
21) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. CHI)
22) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. ATL)
23) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at MIA)
24) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at TEN)
25) Rachaad White | TB (vs. LV)
26) Nick Chubb | CLE (at PIT)
27) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CLE)
28) Gus Edwards | LAC (at KC)
29) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at TB)
30) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. LAC)
31) Ray Davis | BUF (at LAR)
32) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at TEN)
33) Jerome Ford | CLE (at PIT)
34) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at KC)
35) Trey Benson | ARI (vs. SEA)
36) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at MIN)
37) Jonathon Brooks | CAR (vs. PHI)
38) Sincere McCormick | LV (at TB)
39) Tyjae Spears | TEN (vs. JAX)
40) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. ATL)
41) Jaylen Wright | MIA (vs. NYJ)
42) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. MIN)
43) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. NO)
44) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. DET)
45) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at CAR)
46) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. LV)
47) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at KC)
48) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. DET)
49) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. LAC)
50) Emari Demercado | ARI (vs. SEA)
51) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CLE)
52) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at DAL)
53) Ty Johnson | BUF (at LAR)
54) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. CHI)
55) Jamaal Williams | NO (at NYG)
56) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. CIN)
57) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. CHI)
58) Carson Steele | KC (vs. LAC)
59) Eric Gray | NYG (vs. NO)
60) Craig Reynolds | DET (at GB)
61) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. JAX)
62) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. CIN)
63) Dylan Laube | LV (at TB)
64) Travis Homer | CHI (at SF)
65) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at PIT)
66) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. ATL)
67) Will Shipley | PHI (at CAR)
68) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at MIA)
69) Alec Ingold | MIA (vs. NYJ)
70) Keilan Robinson | JAX (at TEN)
71) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. ATL)
72) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (vs. PHI)
73) Adam Prentice | NO (at NYG)
74) Sione Vaki | DET (at GB)
75) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (vs. MIN)
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings Trends
Atlanta Falcons
Team: Atlanta plays three of its next four road games (it has lost consecutive road games, scoring a total of 23 points in each), but it plays indoors for each of its next three (at Vikings, at Raiders, vs. Giants).
QB: Since 2011, only twice has a QB completed 18 passes with at least one interception and zero touchdown passes in three straight games – Case Keenum (2018) and Kirk Cousins (current).
Offense: The Falcons turned the ball over on a season-high 40% of their drives on Sunday – they are 1-5 this season when they have a double-digit turnover rate.
Defense: Atlanta allowed 0.90 points per drive against the Chargers, its best rate of the season. This success is nice, but this team is 0-3 in its past point-per-drive defensive showings this year.
Fantasy: Bijan Robinson isn’t getting much help on the ground lately (under 1.0 yards per carry before contact in consecutive games), but he’s caught 27-of-28 targets over his past five games.
Betting: The Falcons have failed to cover consecutive road games after covering their first three road games of this season.
Minnesota Vikings
Team: The Vikings are looking to improve upon their record from the previous season by at least four games this season (2023: 7-10), something they’ve already done four times since 2011.
QB: Sam Darnold has led this offense to 1.9+ points per drive in 10 games this season, matching their total from a year ago.
Offense: The Vikings didn’t commit an offensive penalty for the first time this season (they’ve committed a total of just 11 penalties over their past three games).
Defense: Minnesota won despite their defense on Sunday – they forced a punt on just one-of-10 drives (10%, their first game under 20% this season).
Fantasy: Aaron Jones bailed you out with a touchdown reception last week, but the lack of explosion on the ground is worrisome – he’s been held without a 15-yard rush in five of his past six games.
Betting: After a 5-0 ATS start to the season, the Vikings are just 2-4-1 ATS since.