Analyze Jordan Mason's matchup for week 9
Jordan Mason has faded into a 40% share behind Aaron Jones, is coming off a 0.6-point Week 8 dud, and now draws a Lions defense allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards and zero 100-yard rushers all year; bench him for any viable option.
The Lions’ defensive front is a terrible fit for Mason’s downhill style: they rank 4th vs. the run (87.7 yds/gm), haven’t allowed a 9-yard run to a power back all year, and have surrendered just one multi-TD rushing line. Minnesota projects to trail, which funnels passing-down snaps to Jones, capping Mason at ~9 carries and 36 yards.
After a 116-yd/2-TD breakout in Week 3, Mason has steadily declined, bottoming out last week with 4 carries for 3 yards and a single catch for 3 yards as Aaron Jones returned and commandeered 60% of the snaps and all passing work.
The bottom line is that the days of Jordan Mason being a plug-and-play RB2 are over for the foreseeable future. The coaching staff has made it clear they view Aaron Jones as the more versatile option, especially in passing situations, and the snap counts reflect that fact: a 60-40 split last week that is unlikely to tighten unless Jones suffers another setback. That alone caps Mason’s ceiling, but the matchup itself is the more damning element. Detroit’s defensive tackles command double-teams and still hold opponents to under three yards per carry; they swallow power backs and rarely concede goal-line touches. When you combine the timeshare with the matchup, you’re banking on a touchdown for anything resembling a double-digit fantasy return. With the Vikings touchdown road underdogs and expected to fall behind, the likelihood of Mason seeing goal-line looks shrinks even further. Projections peg him for roughly 5.5 points, which is barely flex-worthy in 12-team leagues and a liability in deeper formats where playoff spots are decided by single digits. Unless you’re in a 14-team league scraping the bottom of the bench, any of the widely available waiver options—Montgomery (vs. MIN), Hubbard (vs. GB), Spears (vs. NO)—offer both higher floors and higher ceilings. Keep Mason stashed for later weeks when the schedule softens or if Jones misses time, but for Week 9 he should be locked on your bench.