It has been a frustrating season for fantasy football managers who drafted Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has played in just six games this year and left two of those after getting hurt. Now entering Week 15, he is once again questionable heading into game day, leaving fantasy managers with a level of uncertainty.
Let’s examine the latest on whether Jefferson is expected to be playing in Week 15, and what we have been hearing out of the Vikings’ camp this week.
Editor’s Note: Justin Jefferson is active for the Vikings’ Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Is Justin Jefferson Going To Play in Week 15?
Coming out of Thursday, all signs pointed towards Jefferson playing in Week 15. The Vikings listed him as questionable on their final injury report, but he was also listed as a full participant in practice on Thursday, the last practice of the week before their Saturday game. That is normally a good sign for a player’s availability that week if he can get in a full practice to close out the week.
Of course, there is always the risk of a setback or stiffness the next day. That would not be something that the Vikings would need to make us aware of on Friday unless it made Jefferson doubtful or ruled him out.
MORE: NFL Injuries Week 15 — Tracking Every Injury
The only slight indication we could get that something would be wrong is if the Vikings elevated a WR from their practice squad. Well, on Friday, Minnesota elevated WR Trishton Jackson to the active roster. That is despite having Jefferson, Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn, and Brandon Powell healthy and active.
This could merely be a precautionary measure with Jefferson having dealt with a chest injury during the game the week before. Jalen Nailor was ruled out on Thursday, so the Vikings could be thin at the WR position if a player went down during the game. Jackson could also be elevated to play a role on special teams.
There has been nothing else out of Minnesota this week to suggest Jefferson is at risk of missing the game. He seemed bullish when he spoke to the media on Wednesday that he would be playing in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
On Thursday head coach Kevin O’Connell did not seem overly concerned, telling reporters, “[Jefferson] did probably more than I originally expected and responded really well to all of the work, so we feel really good about where Justin is at.” That echoed a similar message from O’Connell earlier in the week.
Of course, these comments would all be somewhat irrelevant if Jefferson had suffered a setback on Friday. Neither Jefferson nor O’Connell could have foreseen that being the case, and while coaches are often cautious, they rarely expect a setback for a player who has made good progress through the week.
Assuming we do not hear anything else on Jefferson, the assumption should be that the Vikings’ WR is playing and will have a full workload. The biggest risk could be that we see the Vikings either limit his snaps or sit him altogether if the game gets out of hand one way or another late in the second half. If Jefferson is active, there is little question that fantasy managers are starting him this week.
If Jefferson Is Out Can Fantasy Managers Trust Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell, or K.J. Osborn?
The long and short of it this week is that the Vikings’ offense should be approached with extreme caution from a fantasy perspective. Jefferson, Ty Chandler, and T.J. Hockenson are probably the only options you are starting without question this week. If Jefferson were to be out, I am not sure there is anyone to step up in his place.
Previously it was Addison who took on a bigger role for fantasy when Jefferson went down back in Week 5. However, his fantasy relevance faded when Kirk Cousins got hurt, and since then he has struggled for consistency. It would be tough to throw Addison in your lineup in a crucial week with so much uncertainty.
The same goes for Powell and Osborn. Both have flashed fantasy relevance in moments, but neither has cemented it. We have no concept of what Nick Mullens will look like with a full set of reps this week. Previous experience tells us he could lean heavily on the tight end, but outside of that good luck trusting a Vikings’ pass catcher if Jefferson is out this week.
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