The Vikings backfield is packing combo punches and potential.

Aaron Jones, Sr., has been to a Pro Bowl and is one of three active players with 7,500-plus rushing yards and 2,500-plus receiving yards, along with San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey and Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley. And, sixth-round rookie RB Demond Claiborne has 4.37 speed and is learning under Jones’ wing.

That said, don't you dare forget about Jordan Mason.

Minnesota's leading rusher in 2025 with 758 yards on 159 attempts (4.8 avg.), Mason is anticipated to be a reliable and rugged runner for the club after he started five of 16 games in his debut Vikings season. He also is being touted as a "sleeper" back by Pro Football Focus analyst Nathan Jahnke for fantasy football.

Jahnke recently identified three NFL ball carriers who are expected to be drafted in fantasy leagues in the later rounds — but boast "the potential to become weekly must-start fantasy options in 2026." Mason fits that bill, according to Jahnke, as well as Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell and Browns RB Dylan Sampson.

In his assessment of Mason, Jahnke zoomed out to note his success since entering the league as a 49ers undrafted free agent in 2022. Mason primarily served as a backup his first three seasons but took over for McCaffrey when the All-Pro was injured in 2024, and Mason posted a career-high 789 yards that year.

Leaning on pertinent statistics, Jahnke wrote the following about the 27-year-old from Gallatin, Tennessee, who often goes by "JP" in the Vikings building, which references his middle name, Ponchez:

His 91.3 rushing grade over the past four seasons ranks 10^th among all running backs. He has averaged 5.1 yards per carry, 3.4 yards after contact per carry and a first down or touchdown on 26.6% of his runs, all ranking third among the 56 running backs with at least 300 carries. He is also the only running back in that group with a positive grade on more than half of his carries. That efficiency has translated to fantasy success whenever he's been given a lead-back role. Mason ranked as the RB10 in PPR (Point Per Reception) leagues over the first seven weeks of 2024 while McCaffrey was sidelined, and he averaged 14.5 PPR points per game across [his initial] four starts for Minnesota last season, (spanning Weeks 3-7).

Although Mason and Jones were 1a and 1b options for the Vikings run game last year, and they are likely to split backfield duties, again, Jahnke pointed out Mason should have plenty of opportunities in 2026.

Click to read the rest of Jahnke's exploration into overlooked backs who may have league-winning value.

What about us?

Rather, what about the U.S.?

With summer breaks all over the league beginning and the NFL on the brink of hitting its annual lull (honestly, the news cycle never stops), there's enormous attention shifting to the other kind of football. Rather, the sport that most people recognize around the world as "football" or "fútbol" – called soccer.

There's something known as the FIFA World Cup going on if you hadn't heard. It's a big deal. Adding to the coolness factor … it's being played at venues across North America, including 11 NFL stadiums. The United States opened the tournament last Friday with a 4-1 win over Paraguay, and they play Australia this Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) to keep trekking in the group stage before, hopefully (most likely), advancing to the single-game elimination phase. It's not the football we're used to covering, but it's worth watching.

In a recent athlete-sport crossover story, reporters at ESPN surveyed 29 NFL players to get predictions. Does the U.S. stand a chance to win it all? Which country is the favorite? Overwhelmingly, it was France.

Here's an excerpt from the article, which features a Vikings standout with a "footy" background:

"On paper, France has the best team, but the World Cup is always interesting: It's just about who's playing well that day," said Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota, who expects France to win it all and Kylian Mbappé to earn the Golden Boot (the award given to the tournament's top goal scorer). "Their strikers are out of this world. When you've got two premier strikers like that, you've got a chance to score a lot of goals. That gives them an edge."

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, on the same page as his No. 2 quarterback, also picked France and Mbappe. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who visited France during an offseason and did a jersey swap with Mbappe, is riding with Les Bleus as well.

Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt agreed, saying, "France is stacked right now." He picked Ousmane Dembélé — the reigning Ballon d'Or winner — to win the Golden Boot.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little, too, predicted Dembele and France, adding, "Dembele and Mbappe, gosh, it's going to be hard to stop. I think I'm going to have to go France, legitimately. But, passionately, U.S."

Many NFL kickers played soccer as kids, so they know their stuff, presumably. Vikings [kicker] Will Reichard disagreed with his kicking brethren, saying, "[It's] hard to bet against Brazil. I like the swagginess part of their team."

That's a high-level take because if there's a kicker who is certified swaggy, it's Reichard.

See the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.

See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.