The Vikings and QB Sam Darnold agreed to a one-year deal worth "up to" $10 million, NFL Network reports. That's more than "backup money" but doesn't necessarily guarantee Darnold the 2024 starting job. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are the other QBs currently on the roster, but Minnesota could certainly add a rookie in April's draft. It's been a popular landing spot for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in mock drafts. Darnold attempted 46 passes for the 49ers last year, with 26 of them coming in a meaningless regular-season finale. He started 17 games for the Panthers across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, completing 59.5% of his passes at 6.7 yards per attempt -- right around his career averages. Darnold would be a significant downgrade from QB Kirk Cousins for Minnesota's pass catchers.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson underwent surgery on January 29 to repair his torn ACL, the team announced. Doctors waited for 36 days after the injury to do surgery in order to let Hockenson's MCL heal. It's standard practice but obviously pushes back Hockenson's timeline for return. Consider him iffy to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, which kicks off in about 7.5 months.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed that Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson tore his right ACL and MCL in Sunday's loss vs. the Lions. That ends Hockenson's phenomenal season. The veteran pass-catcher posted a position-leading 127 targets and 219 PPR points (a career-best) through Week 16. We'll see about his chances of making it back for the start of 2024. But his long-term dynasty value should still largely remain intact. Be sure to keep up with us throughout the offseason as more information becomes available. Hockenson's injury likely means more playing time for TEs Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt. They saw near-identical playing time against the Lions, with Mundt getting the edge in snaps (23-21) and targets (3-2). The presence of both makes neither especially attractive for fantasy purposes. WR K.J. Osborn probably gains the most fantasy relevance.
The initial outlook on Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson's injured knee is "not good," a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hockenson is getting an MRI on the knee today, so we should learn more soon. Fantasy owners should be planning on Hockenson missing the rest of the season.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson injured his right knee in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions and was ruled out just a short time later. We'll look for further updates on the severity of the injury and Hockenson's timetable for return.
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 TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs) is active for today’s game vs. the Saints. ESPN’s Ed Werder said this morning that Hockenson “won’t play as many snaps as normal but will be on field in key situations.” We’re still expecting him to be out there for most pass plays, so Hockenson is fine to keep in Week 10 fantasy lineups.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs) "won’t play as many snaps as normal" vs. the Saints today, according to ESPN's Ed Werder. Hockenson "will be on field in key situations," Werder adds. We'd expect those "key situations" to be pass plays. This is a case where Hockenson's snaps could be down, but his pass routes could be right in line with usual. He carries some added risk today but remains a fine fantasy play at the weak TE position.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs) is expected to play today vs. the Saints. He's officially questionable, but we've been expecting the TE to go. We'll get confirmation around 11:30 a.m. ET.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Saints. He was able to play through this injury last week and should be fine for this weekend's contest. We'll get Minnesota's inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time for this weekend's game vs. the Saints. With WR Justin Jefferson also not expected to play, Minnesota will be down to WRs Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson, N'Keal Harry, and Jalen Nailor. Addison and TE T.J. Hockenson should easily lead in targets.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson hauled 7 of 12 targets for 69 receiving yards in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. WR Jordan Addison also had a strong performance, logging 52 yards on 5 catches in the contest. As painful as losing QB Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles was, it seems as though the recently acquired Joshua Dobbs is going to be able to float the fantasy viability of both. Next week, Hockenson and Addison will face a stingy Saints’ defense (ninth in pass defense DVOA).
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.
A Monday MRI confirmed that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 win over the Packers, NFL Network reports. Cousins will miss the rest of the 2023 season. His contract is set to void in March, and Cousins will turn 36 in August, leaving his football future very uncertain. The Vikings, meanwhile, are left with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion for now. QB Nick Mullens, who at least has 655 NFL pass attempts under his belt, is eligible to come off IR next week. We'll see if Minnesota makes a move for a free-agent QB or swings a trade before tomorrow's trade deadline. Regardless, Cousins' absence is bad news for all of the team's skill-position players.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson tallied 6 receptions for 88 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Packers. It marked the second straight week in which he set a season high for receiving yards and the first time he has found the end zone since Week 2. Unfortunately, the game also included a torn Achilles' tendon for QB Kirk Cousins, which makes Hockenson's outlook much bleaker the rest of the way. We'll see whether Minnesota addresses the position before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
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 TE T.J. Hockenson (foot) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report. He was limited in practice this week but will be out there for Sunday’s game vs. the Packers.
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