Tai

Felton

Seifert earlier reported that Addison and Felton had left with “what looked like hand/arm injuries.” Neither resumed practicing for Wednesday, but seem to be fine moving forward, according to Seifert. The Vikings avoid a major injury with Addison, but he is still set to miss the first three games of the season. Felton is the team’s third-round rookie and in line to compete with Jalen Nailor for the WR3 role this season. Both are still on track for Week 1, but with Nailor (hand) currently week-to-week, the Vikings may still look to acquire a veteran receiver.

We don’t have confirmed status updates from the team yet, but The Athletic’s Alec Lewis believes Addison jammed “something” and that Felton “looked like he dinged his arm.” Felton, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, walked off the field with a wrap on his left hand. If there’s one thing that would accelerate trade talks for wideouts ahead of last cuts, it’s more injuries to this room. The Vikings should update Addison’s (and Felton’s) status in the coming days.

Nailor was expected to function as the Vikings’ fill-in No. 2 wide receiver with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games of the season. Justin Jefferson is sidelined by a hamstring injury and Rondale Moore recently suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Nailor news leaves the wide receiver corps worryingly thin, and early-July reports on dynasty darling, rookie WR Tai Felton, indicated he may be best suited to special teams work in year one. The Vikings could make a move to acquire a proven, if unexciting, veteran to the mix.

Lewis notes that Felton could see some snaps on offense if Jordan Addison is suspended in relation to his pending DUI trial. Otherwise, it sounds like Jalen Nailor will be back as the team’s third receiver. Nailor didn’t earn many targets in the WR3 role last year but did cash in with six touchdowns and 414 yards on 28 grabs. Nailor is on the menu as a dart throw in deep best ball formats while the third-round rookie is only intriguing as a dynasty stash.

Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.

Felton’s production steadily rose over four years at Maryland, culminating in a 96/1124/9 receiving line in his senior season. He’s a svelte outside receiver (6'1/183) who won after the catch and racked up 590 YAC in his final season and forced 26 missed tackles; the fifth-most among wide receivers last year. Unsurprisingly, Felton didn’t have the frame to win contested targets in college, bringing down 7-of-18 contested looks in his final season. Felton showed off his speed and burst at the combine with a 4.37 Forty followed by broad and vertical jumps above the 90th percentile. He left Indianapolis with a 9.2 RAS. Felton has the production of a potential NFL starter, but he may need to bulk up to be anything more than a volatile WR3 in the pros.