With the NFC playoff race rapidly tightening, the Vikings are set to get a key weapon back in their quest for a second straight postseason berth.
Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson was not listed on the injury report Friday and is set to return Sunday against the Raiders. Jefferson was a full participant in practice all week.
Jefferson has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury Oct. 8 against the Chiefs. The Vikings are 5-2 in seven games without their offensive star.
“I don’t see any restrictions as far as his ability to go out there and function and play. He feels great,” coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters Friday. “... We’ll take a look as far as the volume of snaps.
“This is a guy that, since I’ve been here, has been pretty hard to keep off the field. First game back, I know he’s very, very excited. ... [We’re] expecting to have Justin out there a lot on Sunday.”
In the five games Jefferson has played in 2023, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver has caught 36 passes for 571 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2022, Jefferson registered one of the most dominant seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history. His 128 receptions, 1,809 yards and 106.4 yards per game all led the league and constituted the seventh-, sixth- and 22nd-highest totals in league annals.
Minnesota, which currently sits in the NFC’s No. 6 playoff seed at 6–6, has games against Las Vegas, the Bengals, the Lions, the Packers and Detroit again remaining on its schedule this season.
