It’s an awful Tuesday for football fans, particularly if you root for the Minnesota Vikings.
Justin Jefferson, who hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career thus far, has a hamstring injury bad enough that it landed him on the Injured Reserve list, keeping him out for a minimum of four games.
It’s bad, and if you’re a manager in fantasy football who has Jefferson on your team, you might be scrambling. If you don’t? You may be wondering how it changes the Vikings’ depth chart and values of the players who play with Jefferson.
Let’s break all that down for you:
1
This isn't great for Kirk Cousins, but ...
Kirk Cousins will no doubt take a hit without his top receiver, but there’s a volume thing going on with him and the Vikings’ offense: No other team has thrown more pass attempts than Minnesota this season. While the quality may go down a bit, the quantity will stay up. That’s worth something.
2
Jordan Addison could be WR1
The first-round pick has already seen 29 targets in his first year and has found the end zone three times. If you’ve rostered him, the arrow is very much pointing up for him to get WR1-like work.
3
Go get K.J. Osborn
He saw nine targets against the Chiefs and turned them into five catches for 49 yards. He’s in line for some more work, although the yardage might be capped a bit. PPR leaguers, take note.
4
T.J. Hockenson will benefit for sure
He’s seen eight or more targets in all but one of his games, so he’ll continue to be a favorite for looks. Maybe he sees more red zone work now, too.
5
The run game may continue to be meh
I’m not buying Alexander Mattison to catch more footballs after this, for what it’s worth.
