Why Jordan Mason Is An Overvalued Running Back Handcuff In 2025 Fantasy Football

Discover Jordan Mason’s 2025 fantasy football outlook with the Vikings, including his role behind Aaron Jones, injury history, and sleeper potential.

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) runs with the ball against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Jordan Mason flashed fantasy relevance when injuries vaulted him into a starting role last season, but a string of setbacks quickly derailed his momentum. Now in Minnesota, he’s expected to share early-down work with Aaron Jones, making him more of a handcuff than a standalone fantasy option.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

Over a secondary running back role over four seasons at Georgia Tech (2,823 combined yards with 18 touchdowns and 25 catches), the 49ers signed Mason as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He had a minimal role over his first two seasons in San Francisco (43/258/1 and 40/2063 with only three combined catches for 31 yards).

Injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell cleared the way for Mason to start in Week 1 last year. He responded with a high volume opportunity over his first four games (97 touches), resulting in a winning free square in the fantasy market (91/447/3 with six catches for 57 yards – 74.40 fantasy points in PPR formats). 

Unfortunately, this running back pot of gold ran out of magic over his following three contests in fantasy points (9.80, 9.20, and 8.90) while suffering a shoulder injury in Week 6. Mason had no value (25/122 with one catch for five yards) for the remainder of the year due to a season-ending high ankle sprain and his lingering shoulder issue. 

Over his time in the NFL, Mason has battled multiple injuries (hamstring, foot, hip, shoulder, and ankle).

Jordan Mason 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook, Projections, Ranking

Minnesota wants to rotate backs this year, which may help Aaron Jones stay on the field for more games. Mason brings an early down profile with value in scoring and short-yardage situations. I could see him getting about 45% of their rushing attempts, giving Mason a chance at about 150 touches.

He ranks 37th at running back this summer according to ADP, which seems overpriced due to his low ceiling in catches. Even if Jones has an injury, Ty Chandler (or another running back) would see more action on passing downs. Mason gets drafted too close to Jones to handcuff him, and the Vikings’ running backs averaged only 21.78 fantasy points per game in 2024. He needs Minnesota’s top back to go down early in the year to deliver RB2 fantasy stats.

Mason is currently the RB34 in our 2025 PPR Rankings.