Schefter: Trending toward Wentz starting vs. BUF

In other words, Kirk Cousins could immediately slide in as the starting quarterback. As for Murray, he appears safe to drop in most formats. Call of Duty released on October 23. Not sure why that appeared in this post, but we seem to be unable to backspace it.

And where did that bring you? Back to me. Cousins will likely take over as Minnesota’s starting quarterback in the near future, if not immediately. When that happens, Kyler Murray will head back to the bench for a second straight season — he’s droppable in most leagues at this point. Fernando Mendoza will take over as starting quarterback for the Raiders. Mendoza is best approached cautiously at this point in fantasy leagues. Cousins’ value likely remains stagnant — Klint Kubiak was already getting quite a bit out of him — but he provides the Vikings with a better floor at quarterback than what they were getting so it’s obvious after watching Carson Wentz play last night why this is happening.

“The word going into last night was the Vikings would be in the QB market ahead of the trade deadline if Carson Wentz didn’t play well,” Garafolo said. Narrator voice: He didn’t. Wentz was an utter disaster in Monday night’s loss to the Bills, completing 8-of-25 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions in the team’s second straight loss. Wentz in Week 9 had the league’s lowest drop back EPA and lowest success rate. He also appeared to sustain an ankle injury in the second half. With Kyler Murray (hamstring) struggling mightily in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, the Vikings could make a desperation move for Kirk Cousins or Daniel Jones ahead of today’s 4:00 p.m. eastern time trade deadline. Cousins, for one, would be a marked upgrade for Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota pass catchers. The Raiders have not expressed interest in parting with Cousins, however.

Addison and the rest of the primary Minnesota pass catchers struggled through some of the worst quarterback play you will see all season, with Carson Wentz leading an offense that gained only 126 yards while failing to pick up a single first down through 55 minutes of play. Max Brosmer came on in relief of the struggling veteran late in the fourth quarter and made a few really nice throws, but the team maintains one of the worst quarterback rooms in the league. Fantasy managers are left wishing the team addresses those shortcomings ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline to revive an anemic pass offense.

It was a game to forget for Jefferson and the Vikings, who gained only 178 yards of total offense on just over 17 minutes in time of possession. Jefferson also failed to secure what was initially ruled on incomplete pass on a screen attempt in the first half, later overturned to a Carson Wentz fumble after being ruled a backwards pass. Furthering the pain for Jefferson’s fantasy managers is the fact that 19 of his yards came on the team’s final possession with Max Brosmer under center, leaving arguably the most talented wide receiver in the league completely bereft of a viable option at quarterback considering Wentz’s struggles. His fantasy contingency are best off saying their prayers that the team decides to address the quarterback position in the next 17 hours ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. Jefferson would be a middling WR2 if the position remains unchanged ahead of a Week 10 meeting with the Packers.

Wentz also lost a fumble as the team failed to convert a third down for the first time since 2013. The veteran backup was pulled from the game late in the fourth quarter, watching from the sideline as Max Brosmer finished it out. With Kyler Murray likely out another week or two with a hamstring injury and the trade deadline looming in less than 17 hours, the Vikings could elect to explore the trade market to address the position in what has become the most competitive division in football, with all four teams in the NFC North separated by one game or less through the first half of the season. It would be shocking to see Wentz start another game for the Vikings in 2026.

Both Murray and Jennings had been ruled out earlier in the week, leaving little surprise as the Vikings look to shake off their first loss of the season with an upset win over the powerhouse Bills on Monday Night Football. Carson Wentz starts under center and it remains to be seen who will fill the WR3 role, with Tai Felton and Myles Price the most likely candidates. The team also signed veteran Odell Beckham Jr. to the active roster Saturday.

Murray will likely be sidelined for multiple games after testing revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Carson Wentz will draw the start under center while the team is reportedly exploring the trade market ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. The absence of Murray should benefit alpha wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has struggled to develop chemistry with Murray this season.

Previous reports said Murray was “week-to-week” with the injury. There’s no question the Vikings will monitor Murray’s health every week, but a Grade 2 hamstring strain typically leads to missing multiple games. With Carson Wentz set to start on Monday Night Football against the Bills in Week 9 and the Vikings monitoring outside QB options ahead of the trade deadline, Murray isn’t even guaranteed to be the starter again once he’s healthy.

Murray reportedly experienced soreness in his hamstring following the Vikings’ Week 8 loss to the Lions. Carson Wentz will start for the Vikings’ Week 9 Monday Night Football game against the Bills, and potentially longer. If Wentz plays well, Murray could be relegated to the backup role. Murray does not necessarily need to be stashed on benches in two-quarterback leagues at this time. This situation is not ideal for him.