Vikes rule out Jefferson (ankle) in Week 3

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after Sunday’s game that Jefferson was “close” to returning, so Monday’s report isn’t all too surprising. While Week 4’s game remains on the table for Jefferson, the Vikings could very well opt to sit him this week against a Dolphins offense that’s among the worst in the league and just lost its star player to a torn ACL. Jefferson’s status will be one to monitor throughout the week, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings rested him for at least one week given the injury and the upcoming matchup.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, the Vikings will evaluate Jefferson’s injury further, “but it didn’t sound terribly serious initially.” It sounds like Jefferson could have a chance to play in Week 4 against the Dolphins’ fantasy-friendly pass defense, though nothing is certain at this time. Stay tuned.

Jefferson went down with the ankle injury at the start of the second quarter and was seen walking on the sideline a few minutes later. He then left for the locker room with seven minutes remaining in the first half. It’s unclear whether he’ll re-enter the game, leaving Kyler Murray without his top weapon. Jefferson had two catches for 32 yards before exiting.

Jefferson caught a 30-yard pass against tight coverage on just the second play of the game, but the proceedings then quickly became a contest of wills on a rainy September day in Chicago. Carson Wentz completed all of 11 passes, though Jefferson was his leading receiver, as well as most targeted. With Kyler Murray (concussion) expected to return for Week 3 against the Bucs’ shaky defense, we will hopefully get our first extended look at the Vikings’ “real” offense.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell ruled out veteran receiver Jauan Jennings, citing a death of a close family member. Jennings will step away from the team to mourn the passing, leaving Tai Felton as the player most likely to step into his vacated role when the Vikings take on the Bears. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison should take on all the volume they can handle with the team also without Jordan Mason. Jefferson is a locked-in WR1 while Addison offers an intriguing upside-WR2 profile after putting up a dud in Week 1.

Kyler Murray left in the first quarter with a head injury, but even Carson Wentz is good enough to keep the fantasy points flowing for Jefferson. Wentz found his star receiver on a deep end zone shot late in the second quarter and put the final nail in the coffin with a nine-yard strike to Jettas late in the fourth. Jefferson has now matched his 2025 touchdown total. Even with Wentz likely under center for Week 2, Jefferson will remain near the top of the WR1 conversation versus the Bears.

Jefferson told Seifert what many of us were concerned about this spring and summer — that having the Murray and QB J.J. McCarthy split first-team reps “was an added challenge.” At the Vikings’ joint practice against the Ravens on Wednesday, Jefferson beat a double team for a touchdown, “but had roughly a half dozen passes broken up as he tried to muscle for position.” Jefferson should still be treated as a WR1, but as he told Seifert, “work needs to be done.”

This comes from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In hopes of getting under the cap before the start of the new league year, the Vikings will restructure the deals of both Jefferson and LT Christian Darrisaw, likely by converting portions of their base salaries into guaranteed money. The Vikings rank last in the league in available cap space, per OverTheCap.com, and will likely restructure a few more deals in the coming days to get to a point where they have money to spend in free agency.

Jefferson was 47 yard short of 1,000 receiving yards on the season and eclipsed that marker in the first half with a barrage of targets from J.J. McCarthy before McCarthy left the game with a right hand injury. Plagued by some of the worst quarterbacking in recent NFL memory, Jefferson managed just two touchdowns after ten touchdowns last season without an established starter under center for the Vikings. He had no chemistry whatsoever with McCarthy. Jefferson remains an elite wideout who dominates targets and air yards and will continue to do so in 2026. If he gets some decent quarterback play, Jefferson should bounce back nicely in Kevin O’Connell’s fantasy-friendly offensive scheme.

It could have been worse? Max Brosmer threw for all of 51 yards in a game that set offense back to before there even was a streaming service to watch a football game on, so getting even 30 yards becomes a little more impresssive. Imagine being issued caveats about a Justin Jefferson game coming into 2025. He’ll get one more chance to add to the disappointing numbers in Week 18 against the Packers.