Jordan Mason giveth. Jordan Mason taketh away.
The Minnesota Vikings running back gave fantasy football teams a reason to smile in Week 1, leading the team with 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, that will be the only production he has for a while.
Mason was placed on injured reserve with a thumb injury
on Wednesday, Sept. 16, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced. It will sideline him for at least four games.The thumb injury was initially described as "sore" before it was announced as a "small fracture" on Wednesday. Regardless, it marks another injury in the young season for the Vikings, who lost Kyler Murray to a concussion during their Week 1 victory against the Packers.
Here's the latest on Mason.
Jordan Mason injury update
Mason
is being placed on injured reserve with a small thumb fracture. While the issue has been fixed, the running back will miss at least four games.
The Vikings have a bye in Week 6, meaning Mason won't be eligible to return until the team's Week 7 contest at home against the Indianapolis Colts.
In the meantime, expect Aaron Jones to handle the bulk of the work at running back.
How long is Jordan Mason out?
Mason will be out until at least the Vikings' Week 7 game against the Colts, when he becomes eligible to return from injured reserve.
What is injured reserve?
Injured reserve (IR) is for players with a football-related injury who are expected to miss an extended period of time.
Players placed on this list have to miss a minimum of four games before they are eligible to return. As a result, the team can open up the spot on the 53-man roster and add another player to fill the void.
There is also a season-long component to IR that is used when a player suffers a season-ending injury.
Once the player is cleared to return to practice, the team has 21 days to activate them or place them on season-ending IR.
Vikings RB depth chart
Here's a look at the Vikings depth chart at running back without Mason:
- Aaron Jones
- Demond Claiborne
- DeeJay Dallas
The team signed Dallas in the wake of Mason's injury, presumably for added insurance behind Jones and Claiborne. Given the state of the room, it seems like that Jones will handle most of the work for O'Connell's offense. A capable runner and receiver, Jones adds a pass-catching element that Mason didn't have in the Vikings' backfield.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jordan Mason injury update: Vikings place RB on IR with fractured thumb
