T.J. Hockenson

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (ankle) has been ruled out for the Week 4 tilt against the Miami Dolphins, per Adam Schefter. Jefferson reportedly was close to returning to last week’s game after the injury, but was unable to practice all week so this is not a surprise.

Jordan Addison will benefit most from Jefferson missing the contest and will be Kyler Murray’s main target in a plush matchup. Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson should also see more looks than usual.

Jefferson left the game after getting rolled up on a first-quarter pass. He appeared to try to test it out on the sideline after getting taped up, but was eventually escorted to the locker room before ultimately getting ruled out. After the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell implied the injury wasn’t too serious, even saying Jefferson “got close a couple times” to returning to the game, before ultimately being ruled out.

In his absence, Jordan Addison stepped up as the focal point of the passing game, hauling in a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter, finishing with five catches for 9- yards on 9 targets, leading all other receivers. Aaron Jones (6 targets) and TJ Hockenson (4 targets) were next, on a day where Kyler Murray struggled without his number 1 WR, completing only 15/29 for 168 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Vikings QB Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will return to the starting lineup Sunday vs. the Buccaneers. There was some speculation heading into Week 2’s game vs. the Bears that if Carson Wentz played a strong game after leading a furious comeback in relief of Murray in Week 1 that he might keep the job, but an underwhelming showing vs. the Bears ended any chance of that.

Kyler was off to a mixed start in Week 1 prior to the concussion: his first pass was intercepted and he was just 3-for-5 with 18 yards but did have 2 rushes for 9 yards. Murray’s rushing is what has made him such an effective fantasy football QB while healthy, having 4-top 10 seasons, including a top 3 finish in 2020. Murray will hope to get back to that Pro Bowl form beginning in Week 3’s matchup vs. the Buccaneers.

Vikings QB Kyler Murray left the Week 1 contest in the first quarter after suffering a concussion vs. the Packers in his Vikings debut. Murray was quickly ruled out of the game as Carson Wentz took over and filled in admirably, throwing 3 TD’s in a victory over the Packers.

Murray now enters the NFL’s concussion protocol, a five-step, phased progression, culminating with full clearance by an independent neurologist. Hopes were high for Murray to regain his Pro Bowl form he showed in his days with the Arizona Cardinals. Fantasy football managers will have to keep an eye on how Murray progresses through concussion protocol over the next week. Justin Jefferson owners shouldn’t worry, as he still put up 31.2 PPR points this week with Wentz filling in.

The answer to who will be the starting quarterback in Minnesota gets clearer by the day. With the Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency and holding off from signing Aaron Rodgers, the easy deduction is that J.J. McCarthy will be the starting quarterback in 2025. 

In addition to the Vikings letting Darnold and Rodgers come and go from their view, they also didn’t pursue re-signing Daniel Jones with much aggression. This has had an impact on McCarthy’s draft stock on Underdog. Since March 9th, McCarthy has risen 7.5 spots in ADP from QB-23 to QB-22 in round 12. 

McCarthy is being selected just behind the Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa and ahead of the Panthers Bryce Young. J.J. McCarthy’s 108.2 athleticism score ranked 2nd in the 2024 quarterback class and is 13th in all time rank from Player Profiler’s pool of 297 quarterbacks. Factor in being able to throw to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson as supporting weapons creates a recipe for mass success in 2025. There is plenty of meat on the bone in round 12 to continue clicking J.J. McCarthy at current cost.

Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)