Vikings May Have One Particular Sleeper for 2026

Startup dynasty fantasy football drafts are ongoing, and redraft leagues will get cracking in three months. During those events, it might be a decent idea to take a flyer on Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason.

Mason’s RB2 case depends on volume, efficiency, and whether Aaron Jones finally gives up touches.

The veteran tailback is on tap for RB1-RB2 duty in 2026, and he made a list of potential “sleepers” published by Fansided last week.

Minnesota’s Backfield Could Create Real Fantasy Value

Mason could be an undercover stud in 2026.

Fansided: Mason Is a Fantasy Sleeper

Justin Carter at Fansided tossed out eight sleepers for your upcoming drafts, and on Mason, he explained, “Mason’s first season with the Minnesota Vikings was solid. He rushed for a career-high six touchdowns and came close to his previous career high in rushing yards despite playing just 44 percent of Minnesota’s offensive snaps, with Aaron Jones serving as the team’s lead back for the 12 games Jones was healthy and active for.”

“Now, Jones is a year older. He has over 1,500 career carries. He missed time last year with a variety of injuries. And he’s backed up by one of, IMO, one of the best backup running backs in the league. This is a situation where fantasy managers could get a massive reward if the Vikings end up using Mason as the starting running back at some point.”

Mason was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings’ rushing offense last year, especially early in the season.

Carter continued, “There’s one issue that caps his upside a bit, though: he’s a complete non-factor as a receiver. Mason had 159 carries last year, but just 16 targets. That’s, uhh, a pretty big disparity, and it wasn’t a result of game planning.”

“Jones had 132 carries — fewer than Mason due to missing five games — but was still targeted 41 times. Still, in standard and even half-PPR, Mason is a great player to throw a dart at later in your fantasy draft.”

His 2025 Output

How productive was Mason in Year No. 1 with the Vikings? Quite is the answer. He logged 159 carries for 758 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, paydirts that were ultra-refreshing because the 2024 Vikings almost refused to score rushing touchdowns altogether. Mason also caught 14 passes for 51 yards, a modest mark.

His problem? Attention. Touches. Emphasis. Like this year, Minnesota has Aaron Jones lined up to share the RB1-RB2 workload, a one-two punch of experience and dependability. Jones isn’t the type of guy teams put on the bench, so the pair basically coexist.

Had Mason been granted the touch load of an RB1 — like Travis Etienne, for example, in Jacksonville — in the arena of 260 rushing attempts, here’s what Mason’s stat line would look like:

— 260 Carries
— 1,239 Rushing Yards
— 4.8 Yards/Carry
— 10 Touchdowns
— 23 Receptions
— 83 Receiving Yards

He Just Needs Carries and Touches

When the offseason began in January, a large faction of Vikings fans expected the club to release Jones, who battled injuries in 2025 — and battles some form of injury nearly every season. Jones will be 32 this winter, and age-32 running backs aren’t often hot commodities.

But Jones accepted a paycut to stay in Minnesota, keeping in the mix for 2026. That flattened Mason’s broad outlook this season. Had Jones departed, Mason would’ve been the next man up by default and possibly a bellcow RB1.

Until it happens, Mason will encounter a familiar narrative: the guy just needs more rushing attempts. When he gets the ball, he chips off about 5 yards per carry. He can’t blossom as a true-blue RB1 unless he gets 200-300 carries.

The Fansided theory evidently operates on the pretense that Mason will get closer to RB1 duty, rather than the shared setup on the docket right now.

RotoBaller‘s Patrick McGrath on Mason: “With a healthier offensive line and improved quarterback play, his second season with the Vikings could be marginally more productive even if his role remains largely unchanged.”

“At 27 years old, Mason is RotoBaller’s dynasty RB52, and while the breakout calls have quieted, he is still capable of playing out the final year of his contract as an occasional flex option with notable insurance upside.”

Other Vikings Sleepers?

For fantasy football sake, the Vikings don’t have too many sleepers — everyone already knows that Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and Kyler Murray are draftable.

But if push came to shove for a Vikings-themed fantasy sleeper list, it would probably look like this:

Second-year pass-catcher Tai Felton could bloom, too, but the probability of that shrank when interim general manager Rob Brzezinski signed Jennings.

Mason turned 27 on Sunday.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker