Green Bay Packers rookie running back Aaron Jones may have needed a pair of injuries to get a shot in the backfield rotation, but he's quickly shown he has no intention of moving back to the bench.
Jones was inactive for the Packers' first game of the season, and he didn't see the field in Weeks 2 or 3. Starter Ty Montgomery played more than 85 percent of the running-back snaps in each of the first three games of the season - and did well, scoring three touchdowns with 253 total yards.
When Montgomery suffered a rib injury early in Week 4, he was replaced by backup Jamaal Williams, who had to suffer an injury of his own before Jones received his chance.
Jones made sure he got noticed in his first taste of NFL play, rushing for 49 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Owned in just over half of Yahoo leagues, fantasy managers were still hesitant to add Jones with Montgomery's Week 5 status coming down to Sunday afternoon. He ended up receiving the Week 5 start against the Dallas Cowboys over a healthy Williams, and compiled 125 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, with one 9-yard reception.
As long as Montgomery's return timeline is so uncertain - estimates range from as soon as next week to some time next month - Jones' role as the backfield workhorse will remain in flux.
Regardless, he's made a convincing case to continue being heavily featured as an early-down and likely goal-line back, potentially pushing Montgomery into a third-down/pass-catching role.
The Packers will have two fantasy options out of their backfield once Montgomery returns. Matchups will determine whether Montgomery or Jones will be the most productive, but both need to be owned in all league formats.
Managers with shares of Montgomery could spend the next week fielding offers for the injured back in hopes that a competing owner expects he'll return to his former role once healthy. Alternatively, they could keep him - and expect high RB2 production the rest of the way.
