Per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Vikings will be making a change at the QB position in Week 15. Joshua Dobbs is being sent to the bench after four starts and will be replaced by backup Nick Mullens. This news doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering Dobbs' recent struggles and the fact that he was yanked in the fourth quarter of Sunday's contest vs. the Raiders. From a fantasy perspective, Mullens doesn't bring the same rushing ability to the table as Dobbs did and shouldn't be considered a lineup option outside of deep 2QB/superflex leagues. Check out where he appears in our current QB rankings.
Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs was benched early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Raiders. He completed just 10 of 23 passes for 63 scoreless yards -- definitely a benchable offense. QB Nick Mullens is in for Dobbs. We'll see how he fares and who Minnesota rolls with going forward.
The Vikings will continue starting QB Josh Dobbs this week against the Raiders, NFL Network reports. It's not a surprising revelation, and that's how we already had our Week 14 rankings set. Of course it'd be nice if Minnesota could go with a steadier QB than the journeyman who threw 4 INTs against the Bears his last time out. But the other options are Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. Dobbs gets a fine matchup with the Raiders and will carry fantasy upside. The risk, however, is that he enters the game on a short leash. A turnover or two could motivate HC Kevin O'Connell to pull an in-game switch. We've factored some of that risk into Dobbs' projection for Week 14. But you'll need to make a personal call on his situation before setting your fantasy lineup with or without him. It can only help the whole offense to (likely) get WR Justin Jefferson back.
Vikings OC Wes Phillips said Tuesday that HC Kevin O'Connell will announce the starting QB Wednesday. Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says, "Based on everything I've heard this week, I expect the Vikings to start Josh Dobbs against the Raiders." That's how we have it projected in the Week 14 QB rankings, but we'll obviously be watching for any change. Dobbs has showed plenty of fantasy upside and will get a fine matchup if he stays in the lineup. There figures to be some risk he gets pulled, though, if he struggles anywhere near how he did against the Bears before the bye.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said after Monday night's loss to the Bears that he'll consider making a QB change over the bye week. QB Josh Dobbs was horrible in the loss, throwing for just 185 yards with one TD and four INTs. "We're going to take a look, you know really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh," O'Connell said. "As much as the turnovers absolutely cripple you, offensively, I still thought Josh battled, no flinch, and just kept playing and competing to try to help us win. I really credit him doing that, it's hard to do on a night where you've turned the football over." Dobbs, of course, played well in his first three games with Minnesota, completing 66% of his passes with four TDs and one INT. Considering that -- and the fact that the Vikings' other QB options are Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall -- we're expecting Dobbs to at least start Week 14's meeting with the Raiders. But we'll keep you updated on O'Connell's decision.
The Vikings are not activating WR Justin Jefferson off IR this weekend, meaning he won't play Sunday night against the Broncos. Minnesota will need to activate Jefferson for Week 12 -- or leave him on IR for the rest of the season. Jefferson got the "questionable" label on Friday's practice report, so we're assuming he'll be ready to play next week. But we'll certainly be watching for confirmation. Jefferson's continued absence leaves target share available for TE T.J. Hockenson, WR Jordan Addison, and others. It also hurts the upside of QB Joshua Dobbs.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson appears unlikely to play Sunday against the Broncos. ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that Jefferson is "continuing to ramp up" in his return from a hamstring injury "but would need to make a lot of quick progress to play Sunday night." That doesn't mean he's out for the week just yet. But you'll need to plan as though you won't have Jefferson in your fantasy lineup. We'll be watching throughout the rest of the week for more updates on the star WR. For now, we've knocked him out of our Week 11 WR rankings and adjusted the projections for teammates such as QB Joshua Dobbs (down) and TE T.J. Hockenson (up).
Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs completed 23 of 34 attempts for 268 yards with 1 TD in Week 10 vs. the Saints. The journeyman also added 44 rushing yards and a ground score on Sunday, marking the sixth time in 2023 that Dobbs has rushed for 40+ yards in a game. Also notable is the fact that Dobbs has now scored a rushing TD in four consecutive games dating back to his time as the Cardinals’ starter. With a pair of upcoming games against poor defenses (Broncos, Bears) that rank within the top seven easiest QB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed, season-long managers looking for a streaming option ought to consider looking in Dobbs’ direction.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell made the only announcement he could Monday, saying that he expects to start QB Joshua Dobbs next Sunday against the Saints. Dobbs, of course, relieved an injured Jaren Hall (concussion) to throw for 158 yards, run for 66, and total 3 TDs in leading Minnesota to victory over Atlanta in Week 9. it was a particularly impressive performance for a guy who had just joined the team five days earlier and famously didn't even know the playbook yet. But keep in mind that he averaged just 5.3 yards per pass attempt, fumbled three times (losing two), and took a safety against Atlanta. It's also important to remember that Dobbs became available to the Vikings because Arizona deemed him expendable even before Kyler Murray was ready to return. Dobbs has a shot to give you useful fantasy numbers against New Orleans in Week 10 -- especially because of his rushing ability -- but he could also let you down against a tougher defense than Atlanta's. Dobbs' matchups at Denver in Week 11 and vs. Chicago in Week 12 look more inviting than this Sunday's vs. New Orleans.
In one of the most impressive performances in recent history, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs completed 20 or 30 passes for 158 yards with 2 TDs in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. He also added a team-leading 66 rushing yards with another score on the ground in the contest. Dobbs was acquired in a trade from the Cardinals this past Tuesday and had only been with the Vikings for five days before a first-quarter concussion forced QB Jaren Hall out of the game. Without knowing the playbook, Dobbs took over and put together a 24.9-point performance that ranked fourth among QBs by Sunday’s end. The journeyman has a realistic shot at being a quality QB2/streaming option down the stretch of 2023. He’ll likely get star WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) sometime soon, and the Vikings’ remaining schedule ranks 11th-easiest for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Vikings QB Jaren Hall went to the locker room in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons, presumably to get checked for a concussion. He'll be replaced by QB Josh Dobbs, who was just acquired earlier this week. We'll update Hall's status when we know more.
Update: Hall has been ruled out with a concussion.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that QB Jaren Hall will start this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. QB Josh Dobbs will need at least a week to get up to speed in the offense. Hall replaced QB Kirk Cousins last week, completing three of four passes for 23 yards on 11 snaps. The fifth-round rookie started for BYU the past two years, completing 65% of his passes at 8.6 yards per attempt with 51 TDs vs. 11 INTs. Hall also ran for 657 yards and six TDs across those two seasons and then clocked a 4.64-second 40 time at his Pro Day. There's some rushing potential here, but Hall is just a desperation QB2 play this week. He adds obvious risk to Minnesota's pass catchers.
The Vikings are trading for QB Joshua Dobbs, according to NFL Network. No word yet on what's heading back to Arizona. Dobbs got off to a nice start in Arizona this year but bottomed out the last four weeks, completing 56% of his passes at 5.3 yards per attempt with four TDs and five INTs. Dobbs should take over as Minnesota's starter soon and is likely an upgrade over the rest of their QBs. But he's still a huge step down from QB Kirk Cousins. Dobbs is only worth rostering in 2-QB and superflex leagues.
Update: The Vikings are sending a sixth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for Dobbs and a conditional seventh-rounder.
On Monday, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced that the team has decided to reverse course and name rookie QB Clayton Tune as the starter for Week 9 vs. the Browns. This is in contrast to a statement made by Gannon yesterday that Joshua Dobbs would be the QB1 next weekend. Either way, this news still delays Kyler Murray's return from ACL until Week 10 at the earliest. As for Tune, he shouldn't be considered a starter in fantasy lineups outside deeper 2QB/superflex formats.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced QB Joshua Dobbs will be the starter in Week 9 against the Browns. By effect, this news delays the return of starter Kyler Murray, who is near the end of his ACL recovery, by at least another week. Murray practiced fully every day leading up to Sunday's contest vs. the Ravens before being listed as 'Doubtful' and subsequently ruled out for the game. Fantasy managers must stay patient and cross their fingers that we'll see Murray under center in Week 10 vs. the Falcons at the earliest.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He was a full participant in practice all week and was actually not even listed on the Thursday or Friday practice report. But Murray is still at least one more week away from his 2023 debut. QB Josh Dobbs will start vs. Baltimore.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Sunday that Week 10 is Murray's most realistic return date, with Week 9 an outside possibility. So we're still not expecting Murray to play vs. the Ravens on Sunday. But we'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. He returned to practice this week but figures to need a couple of weeks to ramp up before he’s ready for game action. QB Josh Dobbs gets another start on Sunday.
Search
