Jordan Mason was hyped as the Christian McCaffrey handcuff during his three years with the 49ers and turned in a fine season with the Vikings last year (4.8 YPC and 6 touchdowns). This is less “post hype” and more “not enough current hype,” but I’m fully in at cost with him theoretically having a clear path to consistent work.
Should You Draft Jordan Mason in Fantasy Football?
To be quite honest with you, you’re talking to the wrong person here. I’ve got bias for days. I’m not necessarily biased, just in on Mason, because we have no reason not to be. He’s over 5 yards per carry for his career.
He’s like a lot of these guys I’ve got highlighted at every position here, guys that we thought could thrive if given volume. He’s going to get volume, and now he’s not being drafted as such. There’s Isaiah Likely at the tight end position. There’s Josh Downs at the wide receiver position. There are a bunch of guys out there like this. Mason just happens to be the cheapest of all of them, and he plays the hardest position to fill. I’ve got Mason on 95% of my teams, and I’m not mad about it.
I don’t think Aaron Jones has much left in the tank. You’re talking about a guy with over 2,000 career carries who saw all his metrics dip in the wrong direction last season. I don’t think that’s going to change. Is he a viable pass-catching option out of the backfield? Sure, he is. Mason really isn’t. Jones can hold that role. I’m not too worried about it.
Mason is over 5 yards a carry. That is insane efficiency on a viable workload here. We’re talking almost 400 career carries. He’s being priced as if he’s going to be in that 140- to 160-carry range, which he was last year and the year before. That’s fine. I think he could probably return positively on investment if that’s what he gets.
But open your mind a little bit to the idea of Jones fading into oblivion, being a 6-touch-a-week guy, 4 targets, something like that, where he’s on the field for a quarter of the snaps, maybe a third. That means we’re getting 200 carries from a guy in Mason, where the extra 40 are just gravy.
He’s being drafted well outside the top 100 as of early September. I don’t think that’s right. I’ve got him inside my top 30 at the running back position. I think he could be a flex from day one in 2026, and you don’t have to pay anything close to that. You don’t even have to, unless you’re in a draft with me, in which case, good luck. But if you’re drafting with people using normal ADPs, you can get Mason as your RB4, your RB5.
It opens up so much. Because of my confidence in him, you don’t have to draft much depth after him, and you can load up on wide receivers or double up at the onesie positions. You can also take some risks early. If I end up with a Christian McCaffrey in the early rounds, Mason’s exactly the type of reserve back I want, because you’re not going to have to draft him as a starter, even though I think he could be that. If McCaffrey goes down, maybe your season’s not sunk. Maybe you drafted a league winner outside the top 10 rounds. Maybe you listen to me and make this happen at low risk, high reward.
Mason, sign me up. I just have to think of team names for him now. How could I work his name into the name of my fantasy teams? I’m going to have them all over the place, and I’m not sorry about it. I don’t think you should be either. Mason for president 2028.
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Jordan Mason’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Mason only has 11 career games with 15+ touches, so asking him to return locked-in RB2 value from the jump this season is a bit optimistic, but I trust the skill set, and if you want to flex him, I’m not going to stop you.
Among 49 qualified RBs last season, Mason ranked 10th in fantasy production relative to expectations. Jones checked in at 44th. It feels like a matter of when, not if, Mason ices Jones for the clear top touch earner in this backfield, and that was why I ranked him well ahead of the industry ADP this summer.
The Packers run defense was about as average as it gets last season, and with Micah Parsons likely to sit through September, I think this is a unit that can be had. As long as you think this game is tight, Mason should be viewed as a top-30 RB who is more valuable in leagues that reward receptions less.
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Where Mason Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- Jonathon Brooks | CAR
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- MarShawn Lloyd | GB
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Blake Corum | LAR
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
Compare him against the rest of the board in PFN's Full PPR Running Back Rankings.
