Is Aaron Jones playing Monday night? Fantasy injury update for Packers-Raiders Week 5 Monday Night Football

2023-10-09
4 min read
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Aaron Jones has been a fantasy football staple for several years now, and he looked well on his way to another standout season after a big opening week. A hamstring injury has slowed him down considerably, though, costing him two-and-half games and clearly limiting him last week. He's once again "questionable" ahead of Week 5's Monday Night Football matchup in Vegas, and plenty of fantasy owners are looking for updates and wondering what to do with him ahead of their start 'em, sit 'em decisions.

We'll continue to update this article with news on Jones until the official active/inactive report comes out on Monday around 6:45 p.m. ET.

Is Aaron Jones playing Monday night Week 5? 

UPDATE: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday afternoon that Jones is "unlikely" to play against the Raiders on Monday night.

UPDATE 2: Jones is officially OUT.

After a week full of limited practices, Jones (hamstring) is "questionable" for the second straight game. Packers' coach Matt LaFleur seemed to imply that Jones would play on Monday against the Raiders when he said that Jones' workload in practice on Saturday was no less than it had been in previous weeks. 

Of course, that doesn't tell us how much Jones will play or how effective he'll be. The star back returned to the lineup last week but played just 20 snaps and handled six touches for 14 total yards. He'll presumably ramp things up this week in a hopefully better game script, but if Jones is still on the same practice pattern, it's tough to get too excited about him. 

Even with that said, it's just as tough to bench him if he's active. Vegas allows the seventh-most rushing yards and eighth-most fantasy points to RBs this season, so Jones should be able to put up points even with relatively limited touches. He's always a threat to do damage as a receiver, too, which we saw in Week 1 when he caught two passes for 86 yards and a TD.

If Jones is a surprise scratch, AJ Dillon will once again start and profile as a high-end flex. He's yet to take advantage of his opportunities this year, but this will be his best matchup yet.

There's no need to force Jones into your lineup if you have other high-upside options, but he's worth waiting for in most deep leagues. Of course, you'll need a flex pivot ready just in case Jones can't suit up. The options are limited, but Jayden Reed, Hunter Renfrow, and Luke Musgrave are your best bets on the waiver wire.