It’s been a bit of a rough stretch for the Minnesota Vikings‘ top two wide receivers. Justin Jefferson hasn’t been able to stay on the field, and Jordan Addison has seen his fantasy value crater since Kirk Cousins went down.
Following both of them having strong performances on Saturday afternoon, can fantasy football managers trust them at the same level they could while Cousins was healthy in the final weeks of the fantasy season?
Justin Jefferson’s Rest-of-Season Outlook
In his first full game since Week 4, Jefferson caught seven of 10 targets for 84 yards. He obviously won’t be as good as he was with Kirk Cousins, but Jefferson sure looked every bit like the top-five WR he’s been pretty much since he entered the NFL.
Over the final two weeks, the Vikings get a Detroit Lions pass funnel defense and a Green Bay Packers defense that is beatable through the air. While the matchup isn’t essential for Jefferson — you are always starting him — we never complain about softer opponents.
Fantasy managers who advance to the semi-finals should feel very confident about Jefferson being able to propel them to the finals with a huge Week 16 performance against a collapsing Lions pass defense.
Jefferson’s 15.4 fantasy points against the Cincinnati Bengals marked his lowest in a full game this season by a staggering 8.6 points. He’s seen double-digit targets in all five games he’s completed.
I would stop short of declaring Jefferson a top-five wide receiver for the remainder of the year. Quarterback play will likely prevent that, but Jefferson is a must-start WR1 regardless of who is under center.
Jordan Addison’s Rest-of-Season Outlook
While Jefferson was out, Addison cemented himself as the Vikings’ clear WR2. Previously, he had been inexplicably playing behind K.J. Osborn in two-receiver sets. After Jefferson returned, that was no longer the case.
With that said, Addison had struggled in a post-Cousins world.
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Before this performance, he hadn’t posted more than 10.9 fantasy points since Cousins’ season ended with an Achilles injury, and fantasy managers were beginning to question whether or not he could still be started.
But Addison’s talent was never in question, and against a soft Bengals pass defense, he finally exploded, catching all six of his targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Addison will benefit from the same favorable rest-of-season schedule as Jefferson. Additionally, both the Lions and Packers’ offenses are good enough to force the Vikings to have to throw.
After what Addison just did, he’s reentered our good graces. You probably can’t bench him next week.
However, I must say Addison’s spike game was a bit of a fluke. His first touchdown was a catch-and-run that was a strange-looking play. His second touchdown was a completely nonsense throw by Nick Mullens that probably never should’ve been made.
How in the world did Nick Mullens pull this off 😳😮#SKOL pic.twitter.com/Qb2fikFoSH
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 16, 2023
I still worry about Addison’s overall volume because he was rarely Mullens’ first read.
From watching the game, I believe only two of Addison’s receptions were on plays designed for him. While his ceiling remains as high as ever, his floor is just as low as it’s been over the past six weeks.
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