Aaron Jones Injury Report: Is he playing in Week 9 for Thursday Night Football?

With Thursday Night Football approaching, fantasy football managers are scrambling to get their lineups figured out for Week 9. One of the biggest questions left on everyone’s mind has to be, “is Aaron Jones playing tonight?”. It is a difficult question to answer but is one that might be crucial for fantasy owners with Jones on their bench. Due to the fact that he is playing on a Thursday, managers need to decide whether to risk having him in the lineup or swapping him out for a less consistent option that plays on Sunday. What is Aaron Jones’ injury, and will he be on the field against the San Francisco 49ers?

Update: Adam Schefter reported that the Green Bay Packers are hopeful to have Aaron Jones active for their Thursday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers

Are Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon playing in Week 9?

This Green Bay Packers backfield is one of the most interesting of the Week 9 slate. What we do know right now is that they will be without AJ Dillon and Jamaal Williams. With Dillon testing positive on Wednesday, and Williams being someone impacted by contact tracing, both RBs will be sidelined.

This in itself is bad news for fantasy owners because Williams was actually playing really well in Aaron Jones’ absence. In the two games Jones has missed, Jamaal Williams has gained 216 total yards from scrimmage, rushing 35 times for 152 yards with one touchdown and a 2-point conversion and catching 10 passes for 64 yards.

Related | Fantasy RB Injury Report: Week 9 injury updates on Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, others

When asked about losing both Williams and Dillon, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was optimistic.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing with AJ and Jamaal not being able to go, especially Jamaal because his was a contact-tracing issue, but Matt has done a good job of mixing the personnel up to find ways to get our guys on the field. And it’s really no different. So, I don’t look at it as us being hamstrung. It’s just how 2020 has gone for us.”

Without Williams and Dillon, all eyes are now on Aaron Jones to see if he will be healthy enough to lead this backfield.

Is Aaron Jones playing tonight in Week 9?

Jones has been considered a game-time decision this week by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, but the Packers now appear to be more optimistic.

Aaron Jones’ injury has caused him to miss two straight games and the fact that the team plays on a Thursday left him questionable for Week 9. As of right now, Jones has only been a limited participant in practice, but all signs are looking good just a few hours ahead of kickoff.

Related | Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts

There is still a chance that Jones may end up missing the game. According to Hackett, Jones’ calf injury is “a finicky deal“. While not certain, finicky is not the adjective I would want my coach using when describing an injury. There is still a chance that the Packers will continue to be cautious with the 25-year-old and give him another 10 days to heal up for Week 10. A lot will depend on whether Jones feels anymore discomfort leading up to when inactive are announced.

Due to Aaron Jones’ injury, who could lead the backfield out of Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams?

Now, let’s assume that Aaron Jones is in fact out. If that is the case, who will be the starting running back? Pro Football Network’s fantasy analyst Tommy Garrett broke down the Packers’ potential backfield of Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams.

If Jones is out, it would be one of those two backs that would likely take over as the number one. However, it would probably end up being a committee.

As Tommy points out in his piece, the Packers are taking on the number one defense in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs at a measly 17.76. The 49ers rank 32nd in Defense Points Against Consistency (DPAC) with a score of 5.51, meaning they are a matchup that you want to avoid in fantasy unless you have someone who is a weekly must-start. 

That does not bode well for either option. Combined, Ervin and Williams have 15 total NFL carries for their career. Unproven assets plus a terrible matchup makes both these guys incredibly risky. I would look elsewhere for fantasy if Jones ultimately does not play.

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