Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is feared to have torn his Achilles in Sunday's win over the Packers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's typically easy for doctors to diagnose a torn Achilles without any imaging. We should get confirmation tomorrow, but Cousins' 2023 season is very likely over. His absence would leave Minnesota with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion. QB Nick Mullens is currently on IR with a back injury but is eligible to return. Regardless, Cousins' injury is horrible news for Minnesota's skill-position players.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins suffered a right ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Packers. He put no weight on the leg getting off the field and was carted to the locker room. We'll update Cousins' status when we know more. He's been replaced by rookie QB Jaren Hall.
The lights of primetime weren’t too bright for Vikings QB Kirk Cousins in Week 7. The veteran completed 35 of 45 passes for 378 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT in Monday night’s win vs. the 49ers. Despite missing talented WR Justin Jefferson for the second game in a row, Cousins’ passing yardage total from Week 7 is the highest he’s recorded in a game since Week 15 of 2022 vs. the Colts (460). 2023 hasn’t been as kind to the Vikings as last season, but it’s worth mentioning that Cousins still sits as the QB7 in fantasy points per game this year. Next week, he’ll have an opportunity to be a quality fantasy starter vs. the Packers.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for just 181 yards and 1 TD in the first game since losing WR Justin Jefferson to a hamstring injury. He took just 2 sacks and avoided throwing any INTs against the Bears. But Cousins did fumble twice, losing one of them. Rain didn't turn out to be an issue, and the wind didn't appear strong enough to be the whole problem here. Throw in how poorly the Chicago defense had played through the first five weeks, and this marks a worrisome performance -- especially with the 49ers coming to town in Week 7. Cousins already sits well outside the top 12 in our Week 7 QB rankings.
The Vikings will be placing WR Justin Jefferson on IR for the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. That means he'll miss at least the next four games. Jefferson's absence will obviously leave a bunch of targets for his Vikings teammates. Jefferson drew 47 through the first four games, 30% of QB Kirk Cousins' total attempts over that span. That makes rookie WR Jordan Addison a weekly starting candidate over the next month. He drew a season-high 9 targets in the K.C. game, reaching 6 receptions for the second time in three weeks. It also makes WR K.J. Osborn worth picking up in many leagues. But there's also a chance Jefferson's absence shifts the offensive approach. Minnesota leads the league in pass attempts through five weeks, sits tied for the lead in pass rate, and ranks third in pass rate over expected. Losing Jefferson figures to hurt the offense overall and could push a little more work to the running game. We're certainly not upgrading RB Alexander Mattison for this, but we'll be watching the offense's reaction over the next couple of weeks. Cousins clearly loses upside with the absence of arguably the league's best WR. Fortunately for him -- and fantasy managers -- the Vikings visit a bad Bears defense in the first game without Jefferson. That will help everyone's fantasy outlooks. An ominous Monday night date with the 49ers waits on the other side of that, however.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday afternoon that the team is still waiting on the results from the MRI on WR Justin Jefferson's hamstring. "We're going to do what's best for Justin and make sure we give him the treatment and plan that is a big picture positive for him," O'Connell said. It sure sounds like the Vikings are bracing for Jefferson to miss time. We'll update his status as soon as we know more. Jefferson's absence would leave behind lots of opportunity for WR Jordan Addison, WR K.J. Osborn, and TE T.J. Hockenson.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for just 139 yards on 12-of-19 passing in Sunday's win at Carolina. Cousins boosted his fantasy line with a pair of TDs to WR Justin Jefferson, but he also tossed 2 INTs. Minnesota got dominated in time of possession, spending just 21:31 on offense. Cousins gets potential shootout conditions back home against the Chiefs next week and then a high-upside matchup with the Bears. So you can probably brush this one off and keep using Cousins.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for 367 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He has exceeded 340 yards in each of the team's first three games. Expect to find Cousins inside QB1 territory in our rankings the next three weeks -- vs. the Panthers, Chiefs and Bears -- but a Week 7 date with the 49ers might knock him down.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins chucked for 364 yards and four TDs in Thursday night’s loss to the Eagles. He did it despite consistent pressure from the Eagles pass rush — and Minnesota only running 55 offensive plays. Cousins was efficient, completing 70.5% of his passes at 8.3 yards per clip. And the Vikings went extremely pass-heavy. Cousins threw 44 times vs. just nine total runs. That’s become a regular occurrence for Minnesota under HC Kevin O’Connell — and has made Cousins a steady fantasy producer. Expect to find him inside the top-12 QBs in our rankings the next four weeks vs. the Chargers, Panthers, Chiefs, and Bears. Week 7 brings a tough matchup against San Francisco.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins said he expects to enter the upcoming season without a new contract. "I think we'll probably talk about the contract next March," Cousins said Wednesday, "and until then just focus on this season and the job to do right now.” Contract negotiations began over the winter, but talks “stalled” — and haven’t resumed — per beat writer Andrew Krammer. Cousins, nearly 35 years old, has reached 4,200 yards in three straight seasons. He projects as a high-end QB2.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins completed 31 of 39 attempts for 273 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's Wild Card loss vs. the Giants. He also punched in a 1-yard rushing TD in the contest. The veteran put forth about as valiant of an effort as one can ask for, but the Giants ultimately proved to be too big a challenge. It'll be interesting to see how HC Kevin O'Connell and company rebound from this upset loss in 2023. It's fair to say the effort should start with bolstering their defense that ranked 28th in Football Outsiders' DVOA this season.
Vikings TE Irv Smith has been activated from IR, putting him on track to play vs. the Bears on Sunday. He's been out since going down with a significant high-ankle sprain in Week 8. Smith's return is a boost to Minnesota's passing game, but he's unlikely to be a big fantasy factor in the postseason behind TE T.J. Hockenson.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Friday that his regulars will start this weekend's game vs. the Bears but that there's a plan to potentially pull them early to get backups some reps, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed and can only climb from #3 to #2 with a 49ers loss to the Cardinals. QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WRs Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen and TE T.J. Hockenson are candidates to leave Sunday's game early.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that he won't sit his starters in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Bears -- although he added that he could make "more subtle" adjustments to playing time. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed but are still alive for the #2 seed with a win plus a loss by the 49ers. Minnesota kicks off at 1 pm ET, while 49ers-Cardinals doesn't start until 4:25 pm ET, so there won't be any scoreboard watching going on. It's possible that the Vikings pull guys like QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson if they build a big lead, but we're currently projecting full playing time for all of them.
Search
