Kyler

Murray

Murray was extremely active on the ground, addnig 51 yards on 10 rush attempts. His deep ball, on the other hand, remains a work in progress. His lone touchdown of the day came on a dime to Justin Jefferson on the back of the end zone. He was hesitant to even pull the trigger on deep shots at other times, even when his receiver was wide open. Murray is largely a game-manager right now, but that’s enough to win football games when the Minnesota defense is simply shutting down every opponent they face. Murray will be a mid-range QB2 when he returns to take on the Colts after a Week 6 bye.

The Dolphins’ pass rush made life tougher than expected for the Vikings’ signal caller. Murray managed to turn a few extended plays into successful scrambles, but he also took four sacks, at times simply holding the ball too long. As the game progressed, Murray locked in on T.J. Hockenson when the pass rush was closing in, linking up with him 13 times for 119 yards. The duo should have shared a late touchdown, but Hockenson smartly downed himself at the Dolphins’ five-yard line, so Murray could kneel out the clock from there. Murray will be a high-end QB2 against the Saints next week.

In his first action since sustaining a concussion in Week 1, Murray wasn’t asked to do much in this one. He was about four percent below his expected pass rate on the day with an average depth of target of 9.4 yards. Murray targeted Jordan Addison heavily after Justin Jefferson left the game with an ankle injury, connecting with Addison on a 41-yard score and narrowly missing the speedy downfield wideout for another touchdown. Murray took three sacks and avoided a handful of other sacks against a Tampa front seven missing key players. Murray likely won’t be a 12-team starting play in Week 4 against the Dolphins even if Jefferson suits up.

The 2-0 Vikings will hopefully get their first full look at Murray, who exited in Week 1 after just 11 snaps. Murray will face a Buccaneers defense that ranks 24th in points allowed through the first two weeks and has allowed the 11th-most passing yards and the 10th-highest net yards per pass attempt. Murray has a nice supporting cast to work with and brings plenty of rushing upside, but fantasy managers shouldn’t view him as anything more than a mid-QB2 until we see how he functions in his first full game or two with the team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning Murray is “on track” to return in Week 3 against the Bucs. Jennings, who is out for non-football reasons, has a less clear return timeline.

Schefter added that Murray is expected to clear concussion protocol next week. He was limited throughout practice this week before being ruled out on Friday. Murray made progress through the protocol during the week but couldn’t get the green light before the weekend. Carson Wentz will make one more start. Even with another strong showing, Wentz is all but certain to return to backup duties once Murray is healthy.

Reports regarding Murray’s progress in the NFL’s concussion protocol were positive this week, but it looks like he needs another week to fully recover. The Vikings will instead roll QB Carson Wentz as the starter in what could be a high-scoring game against the Bears. He is a QB2 for the occasion.

Murray logs his second limited session of the week. He has a chance to play, but we simply will not know his status until the team announces that he has passed the NFL’s concussion protocol. If Vikings QB2 Carson Wentz gets the start against the Bears, he would be a worthwhile QB2 in fantasy.

Murray was knocked out of Week 1 after just a few snaps when he took a late hit directly to his helmet from a Green Bay defender. A limited practice today means he is already making progress through the league’s concussion protocol. He is arguably on the positive side of questionable to start the week. Murray would be a borderline QB1 in versus Chicago’s awful defense if he clears the protocol ahead of Sunday. Carson Wentz will draw the start if Murray isn’t available.

Murray was in a fencing posture after taking a hit to the head from Javon Bullard in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Packers. Murray was reportedly in good spirits after the game, but he will have to pass a series of tests in the coming days in time to be cleared for next week’s game against the Bears. While the Vikings are unsure whether or not Murray will be available, it’s not at all uncommon for a concussed player to miss the following week’s game. We’ll see how things unfold over the week, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Carson Wentz draws the start next week with J.J. McCarthy serving as his backup.