| Stats |
|---|
| Preseason |
| Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG | FUM | LST |
| 8 | 18 | 2.3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
News: 5 days agoClaiborne turned eight carries into 18 yards and caught his lone target for seven yards during the Vikings' 13-3 loss to the Ravens on Saturday. He also returned one kickoff for 21 yards.
Spin: The rookie sixth-rounder was listed as the starter while veterans Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason observed Saturday's game from the sidelines. Claiborne's longest carry of the night went for nine yards, but he combined for only nine yards over his other seven rushes. Through two preseason games, the Wake Forest product has turned 20 carries into 52 yards (2.6 YPC) while adding 71 yards on three kickoff returns. Jones and Mason both figure to see the bulk of the Vikings' workload out of the backfield this season, so most of Claiborne's playing time may come on special teams as a returner on kickoffs.
ESPN Fantasy Projection: Claiborne was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of April's draft. Claiborne is an undersized back who struggled badly with efficiency during his four seasons at Wake Forest. On 558 career carries, Claiborne averaged 4.66 yards per attempt (second worst in this RB rookie class), 2.68 yards after contact and produced 5-plus yards on a class-low 32% of his carries. Also not much of a factor in the passing game, Claiborne may be limited to change-of-pace/return work in the pros. He'll open his career as a depth player behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.