Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Aaron Jones, Christian Kirk and More

It's been a tough start to the fantasy football season in terms of injuries.

The quarterback position has been hit hard recently, but other spots are also dealing with injuries. Let's go over some of the injury news for some of the notable fantasy players around the league.

Use FantasySP's fantasy football injury news page to keep up with the most recent news on players throughout the season.

Aaron Jones Sr. Hits Injured List

Jones is the latest Viking to hit the injured list. He is dealing with a hamstring injury, and apparently it's bad enough for him to miss at least four games.

With Jones out, the Vikings' backfield will belong mostly to Jordan Mason. He has 98 rushing yards on 24 attempts and has caught three of his four targets for 15 yards across 58 offensive snaps played so far.

Mason goes from a flex-level starting option to a suddenly good RB starting asset. He'll still probably be a flex starter for most, but he needs to be owned in all leagues, and starting in more going forward.

Mason and Jones were the only running backs to log snaps for the Vikings so far. Cam Akers was brought back to the team's practice squad, and could be called up for the next month to help provide depth, and a backup for Mason.

McCarthy also Likely Out Weeks

Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy is also on the mend. He's unlikely to play in week 3 with an ankle sprain, and might be out 2-4 weeks. 

Carson Wentz will be the new starter for the Vikings. He obviously has NFL experience, so the offense won't be hopeless.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said the move is being made because of the injury, not because of poor performance. McCarthy led a late comeback in week 1 against the Bears, but has otherwise not looked very good.

Wentz might actually put the offense in a better shape to win games, but it'll be a wait-and-see approach with him.

Justin Jefferson remains the best fantasy option on the team, although I'm going to knock him down a peg or two this week.

T.J. Hockenson has struggled in the early going, and I'm not very high on him this coming week. Adam Thielen and Jalen Nailor are just deep-league starting assets. Mason is the only other guy I'd really want to start in week 3, but we'll see how he stacks up against the rest of the league's backs.

Wentz could be worth streaming in some deeper leagues, but there's obviously some risk attached to that. We'll dive into rankings later today, so check back for that.

Burrow to Injured Reserve

Joe Burrow was placed on injured reserve as well. That wasn't a surprise given that he's expected to miss at least three months with his toe injury.

Jake Browning looks like he will be getting the starts now for Cincinnati. He's played decent enough in the past, but isn't close to Burrow, of course. That knocks down the fantasy outlooks for the team's other skill players.

Ja'Marr Chase is a must-start fantasy player no matter who is at quarterback. His fantasy ceiling might be a touch lower, but he delivered with Browning last week, so that should ease the mind of his fantasy owners going into week 3.

Tee Higgins is still a good fantasy starting option as well, but he'll be knocked down a bit more than Chase. Higgins should still be safely inside my top 30 for most of the weeks Browning starts.

Chase Brown is the only other Bengal you really want to be starting in standard leagues. He's gotten off to a slow start, but probably has a bit better fantasy outlook with Browning back there now. Check back soon to see where the running back ranks.

Dolphins Getting Closer to Returning?

Miami's Jaylen Wright and Darren Waller were both limited in practice on Tuesday. Neither has played this season yet.

Any help the Dolphins can get would be appreciated with the way this team has started the season. The offense was better in week 2, and could get a boost from either guy playing on Thursday against the Bills.

De'Von Achane is still going to power the backfield in Miami. What Wright's return could mean is less snaps and touches for Ollie Gordon, Jeff Wilson and Alec Ingold, although none of those guys have been heavily involved so far.

Adding Waller to the passing game could open more up for Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle. Those two are the only Dolphins' pass catchers with over 10 targets so far. 

Waller might be a decent fantasy asset himself in time, but I'd expect a ramp up period, so he's not a good starting option even if he suits up this week.

Adding those two players to the mix could bump the fantasy outlook for Tua Tagovailoa up just a bit. He looked much better in week 2, and more weapons around him will only help his fantasy cause.

Jayden Reed Undergoes Two Surgeries

The Packers receiver not only underwent surgery to fix his clavicle, but also got foot surgery to knock out the injury he was playing through early on.

Reed is on injured reserve and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Depending on how the Packers are looking could help determine when Reed is brought back.

He was good in the early going for a Packers' offense that looked good against two playoff teams from last year. Reed's absence will open the door for a few pass catchers to step up.

Tight end Tucker Kraft had a monster showing in week 2, and might be the best fantasy asset for the time being. I'd trust him most going into week 3 at least.

Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden and Dontayvion Wicks are the wideouts who could benefit with Reed out of the picture for a while. Christian Watson could also return soon to add another player to the mix.

Doubs is probably the safest choice of the wideouts for now, but Golden has created separation and is a couple better throws away from easily being the best fantasy asset. Wicks looked good in week 2, and should be a decent option in week 3 now.

Josh Jacobs should remain as the team's workhorse back. The injury to Reed doesn't affect the backfield too much.

Jordan Love's fantasy outlook isn't altered too much with Reed being out. Sure, it hurts to not have one of his top receivers out there, but there's still plenty of playmakers to get the job done, so Love should remain a high-end starting option moving forward.

Kirk Expected to Return

Christian Kirk has missed the first two Houston games with a hamstring injury, but he's expected to play in week 3.

It could be shot in the arm for a Texans' offense that's struggled to get rolling. Nico Collins is the only pass catcher over 10 targets, and he only has 77 yards and a score so far.

Dalton Schultz, Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson, Jayden Higgins and Cade Stover are all between 4-9 targets on the year, but nobody has over 60 receiving yards. 

Adding Kirk to the mix probably means less snaps for Hutchinson or Higgins, because Collins isn't going anywhere. Getting more pass catchers on the field could open more up for Collins or Schultz though.

Collins remains as the best fantasy pass catcher in Houston, and probably is the only one worth starting in standard leagues. Kirk will be an option, but he'll be a better deep-league asset until he proves something. Schultz is another deep-league option.

The Houston backfield hasn't done a ton yet, but Nick Chubb is the clear leader for now. He's another better deep-league starting asset. Woody Marks is the top backup, but only worth looks in the deepest of leagues.

C.J. Stroud looked better in week 2, but still isn't the safest fantasy asset. Maybe another pass catcher joining the mix will help the quarterback get his season rolling.