Welcome back to this article series, which aims to counter the increasing ageism that has been spreading like a disease within the fantasy football community over the past few years. In this series, we examine some older players who are being undervalued in drafts, primarily due to their age.
Of course, this is not a mere public service to defend the aged. The primary goal of these articles is to highlight draft board opportunities where fantasy managers can acquire players who still have potential despite their age, and can be obtained at a significant discount.
This year, several players are approaching, or have already passed, the dreaded age cliff for their position, and as a result, they are falling in drafts. People prefer to draft flashy young players instead of selecting a “boring” veteran. In the end, it all comes down to roster construction, but having trustworthy veterans on your fantasy team can give you a much safer floor week in and week out, and sometimes even provide significant upside.
This time, we will discuss a veteran who changed teams last season and still showed there is plenty of gas left in the tank. I’m talking about Aaron Jones, who is now officially known as Aaron Jones Sr. since joining the Vikings. But before diving into this respectable elder, a quick reminder to check out the UDK+, where you’ll find out in which tier Andy, Mike, and Jason have Aaron Jones ranked among the rest of the RBs.
Spoiler: They show him the respect he deserves.
How Is He Being Disrespected?
Aaron Jones is now 30 years old and will turn 31 before the season ends. That’s well past the feared age cliff for RBs. Production for RBs usually declines significantly after age 27. Sure, there are outliers like Derrick Henry or Raheem Mostert who have remained elite way past that age, and Aaron Jones can now be considered part of the list.
However, age significantly influences the decisions of fantasy managers. Today, Aaron Jones is being drafted as the RB26, with an overall ADP of 63 in half-PPR scoring, despite finishing last season as the RB15, showing no signs of decline, and playing in every single game.
He might not ever finish as an RB1 again, but it’s flat-out disrespectful to kick him out of the RB2 realm after finishing just three spots outside the top 12. At his current ADP in the sixth round (eighth in some platforms), Aaron Jones is screaming value. I’d even consider grabbing him a round earlier.
Let me try to convince you.
A Very Respectable 2024 Season
Let’s start with a surprising stat for those who may have missed it: At 30 years old, Aaron Jones had the most rushing attempts and rushing yards of his entire career. He fit perfectly into the Vikings’ heavy-run scheme and silenced a lot of critics by racking up 1,138 rushing yards. He also had the second-highest receiving yardage of his career, with more than 400 receiving yards for the first time since 2019.
What kind of efficiency did this respectable veteran deliver with that usage? A solid 4.5 yards per carry and an excellent 8.0 yards per reception, also the second-best mark of his career. It is clear that Kevin O’Connell trusts Aaron Jones’ body to still carry that kind of workload. Early in the season, they tried splitting the volume with Ty Chandler. But when that didn’t work, they made Aaron Jones the workhorse, and he handled it just fine.
He was also quite consistent. According to the Fantasy Footballers UDK consistency charts, he had the fourth-most RB2 finishes and ranked #18 in RB1 finishes. He ended inside the top 24 in 55.6% of games. Despite his “advanced” age, he’s not the kind of RB that loses you a week. You know what to expect from him, and he usually delivers the goods.
Possible Signs of Decay
It’s tough to compare Aaron Jones’ 2024 performance with previous years, since we only have one season of data with the Vikings. But even so, it’s hard to find any real signs of decline, especially after setting personal records in rushing attempts, rushing yards, receptions, and receiving yards.
Then there’s availability. Aaron Jones has often been labeled as injury-prone. He’s only played two full seasons in his career. Interestingly enough, those two seasons have come in the last three years of his career, one of which was just last year, his debut season as a Viking. Minnesota has a run-friendly offensive scheme and an offensive line that opens up enough space for its runners. It’s also clear that Jones has learned over the years how to protect himself better from injury.
Of course, no player is injury-proof. But in terms of signs of decay, there’s no indication that Aaron Jones’ durability has worsened with age. On the contrary, the stats suggest he’s become more resilient and more capable of carrying an entire team’s running game on his shoulders, something most players his age can’t say.
What to Expect in 2025
It’s no coincidence that the Vikings gave Jones a new two-year contract to keep him as one of the key pieces in their offense. Why change something that worked so well last year?
Still, we can’t ignore the arrival of Jordan Mason. It’s only logical that the Vikings wouldn’t want to overexpose Jones to the same heavy workload as last season, so they will likely try to split touches a bit more evenly. Mason brings youth and a solid résumé as a goal-line back. He had a strong start to last season in San Francisco when Christian McCaffrey was sidelined, averaging 107 yards over five games. But he didn’t show the same durability as Aaron Jones, getting injured after only five weeks.
Time will tell how the touches are split between these two RBs, but we’ll likely see Minnesota try the same strategy they attempted with Ty Chandler last year. Still, Jones has the seniority (the “Sr.” in his name says it all) to command the majority of touches in this offense, unless he shows any real signs of slowing down.
Conclusion
The Ballers’ rankings have Aaron Jones as the RB18, eight spots above his current ADP. Again, I’m not trying to convince you that he’s a top-12 guy. But if he stays healthy, there’s a good chance you’re getting an RB2 at an RB3 price. The players going around him in drafts have way more question marks surrounding them.
So if you’re in the sixth round and Aaron Jones is still on the board, show him some respect and give this trustworthy elder a spot on your roster.
