Fantasy Football News

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (ankle) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He hasn't been ruled out for this weekend's game vs. the Dolphins, but it now seems more likely than not that he misses that one. We're removing Jefferson from our Week 4 rankings for now. His absence would leave Minnesota thin at pass catcher. WR Jordan Addison would be the best bet for targets, with WR Jauan Jennings and TE T.J. Hockenson potentially playing increased roles. QB Kyler Murray's outlook takes a significant hit sans Jefferson.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. The team considers him "day to day," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, so it seems like he still has a chance to play against the Dolphins this weekend. But Jefferson owners should have a backup plan in place for Week 4 lineups. We'll see if he gets back on the field tomorrow.

The ankle injury that knocked Vikings WR Justin Jefferson out of Sunday's win over the Buccaneers is not serious, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He has an ankle sprain and the imaging was good today," Rapoport adds. "He avoided anything long term. Chance he plays Sunday." We'll keep you posted on Jefferson's status throughout the week. But it sounds like he'll miss one game at most -- and dodged a high-ankle sprain that could have hampered him for a while.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Buccaneers with a left ankle injury. He briefly tried to play through the issue but then headed back to the locker room with trainers. We'll update his status when we know more.

Update: Jefferson has been ruled out.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson spoke glowingly of QB Kyler Murray on Monday. “He understands the game. He understands the defenses," Jefferson said on KFAN. "He understands how to put touch on the ball, just enough to where it gets to where it’s gotta go, without making it difficult for us. He understands the game a lot more… he kinda throws the ball before you even get out that break… he’s a smart guy, and he’s a competitor.”

The Vikings picked up the fifth-year option on WR Jordan Addison. That puts him under contract through the 2027 season for $18 million guaranteed.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell was asked on KFAN1003 about the new offense with Kyler Murray at the helm. O’Connell called it the “Justin Jefferson program” and might have revealed some expectations for new QB Kyler Murray. O’Connell also mentioned that defenses will want to have a spy for Murray (and then quickly added, or “any of our other QBs”). But, the comment shows a potential plan for the offense: help Justin Jefferson get open by forcing defenses to respect Murray’s rushing.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson went 8-101-0 on 11 targets in Week 18, catching passes from QBs J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer. That puts Jefferson at 85-1048-2 for the entire season. He had 141 targets on the season, only catching 60.3% of his targets on the year. It does mark his sixth straight season over 1,000 yards receiving. Despite the success, Jefferson will enter next season with uncertainty around the Vikings’ passing game.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has a hairline fracture in his right hand and is out for Thursday's game vs. the Lions, HC Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday. We imagine that McCarthy will also miss the season finale, but we'll keep you updated on his status. McCarthy's absence on Christmas puts QB Max Brosmer back under center. He threw for 126 yards, 0 TDs, and 4 INTs in a Week 13 loss in Seattle. The spot on Thursday -- at home for Detroit's 26th-ranked QB defense -- is much better. But Brosmer isn't even a recommended QB2 start and adds a ton of risk to Minnesota's skill-position players.

The Vikings may have shut out the Commanders 31-0, but star WR Justin Jefferson made minimal impact on the Vikings' win. Jefferson caught two of four targets for 11 yards -- his third game in a row with fewer than 9 PPR points. Jefferson is now averaging 12.1 PPR points per game, by far the lowest of his career. A first-round pick in most fantasy drafts, the question now is, can we even afford to start Jefferson during the fantasy playoffs?

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that QB J.J. McCarthy is symptom-free and expected to clear concussion protocol on Wednesday. Barring a setback, he'll be under center for this weekend's game vs. the Commanders. QB Max Brosmer was predictably a disaster in Seattle yesterday, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt with four INTs on 30 passes. So we can't call McCarthy's return bad news for the offense, but this remains a unit to have very little faith in. The matchup is at least good against a Commanders team sitting 30th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and 26th vs. WRs.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson was limited to 4 yards on 2 catches in Sunday's loss at Seattle. Jefferson’s now managed only one TD over his past 11 outings.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. He got in limited practices this week, so there’s a good chance he’s cleared for Week 14. Undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer makes his first career start in a brutal spot on the road against a tough Seattle defense. He’s obviously not a fantasy option – although it’s tough to imagine Brosmer being worse for Minnesota’s skill-position players than McCarthy.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy managed just 150 passing yards, with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Sunday's loss to Chicago. He completed 16 of 32 attempts against a Bears D that entered the week ranked 26th in pass DVOA and still missing top CB Jaylon Johnson. It was McCarthy's fourth game with less than 160 passing yards among five outings this season. He now has 6 TD passes vs. 8 INTs.

The Vikings nearly doubled their passing volume in Sunday's loss to the Ravens vs. QB J.J. McCarthy's first three starts. The second-year QB attempted 42 throws against Baltimore after averaging just 22 per game heading into Week 10. But it didn't help the production of his team's top two wideouts. Justin Jefferson managed just 4 receptions for 37 yards despite drawing 12 targets against the Ravens. Jordan Addison tallied 3 catches for 35 yards among 11 targets.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy averaged just 22 pass attempts across his first three starts this season. That vaulted to 42 attempts in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. McCarthy completed just 20 of those throws (47.6%) for 248 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. He added 48 yards on five rushes, leading Minnesota in ground yards for the game.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones went 9-78-0 on the ground while hauling in both his targets for 20 yards. Though he didn’t score a TD, Jones’ 8.7 yards per carry offers a glimmer of hope for his fantasy future. But that was propped up a bit by a 31-yard scamper. Unfortunately, his split with Jordan Mason continues to crush both players’ fantasy values. Mason went 10-36-0 on the ground, catching his only target for a yard.