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Justin Jefferson Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

The Vikings are not activating WR Justin Jefferson off IR this weekend, meaning he won't play Sunday night against the Broncos. Minnesota will need to activate Jefferson for Week 12 -- or leave him on IR for the rest of the season. Jefferson got the "questionable" label on Friday's practice report, so we're assuming he'll be ready to play next week. But we'll certainly be watching for confirmation. Jefferson's continued absence leaves target share available for TE T.J. Hockenson, WR Jordan Addison, and others. It also hurts the upside of QB Joshua Dobbs.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday night's game vs. the Broncos. Minnesota also listed Jefferson as questionable last week before ruling him out on Saturday. We'll see whether he's activated from IR this Saturday, but we're not expecting Jefferson to return for the Sunday nighter.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson appears unlikely to play Sunday against the Broncos. ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that Jefferson is "continuing to ramp up" in his return from a hamstring injury "but would need to make a lot of quick progress to play Sunday night." That doesn't mean he's out for the week just yet. But you'll need to plan as though you won't have Jefferson in your fantasy lineup. We'll be watching throughout the rest of the week for more updates on the star WR. For now, we've knocked him out of our Week 11 WR rankings and adjusted the projections for teammates such as QB Joshua Dobbs (down) and TE T.J. Hockenson (up).

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell wouldn't say Monday whether WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) will be back for Sunday night's game vs. the Broncos. Jefferson will continue to "ramp up" in practice, O'Connell said, after being limited last week. “Nobody wants to be out there more than Justin, maybe with the exception of me wanting him out there," O'Connell said. "But we’ll continue to be smart with Justin and know that when we do get him back, it’ll be a major boost." We'll keep you updated on Jefferson's status throughout the week.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) "close" to a return. "Jefferson spent the week jumping in practice drills and was seen sprinting without issue before Saturday's walk-thru," Rapoport adds. We'll keep an eye on Jefferson's status this coming week, but there's seemingly a chance that he returns for next Sunday night's game vs. the Broncos.

The Vikings have downgraded WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) to out for Sunday's game against the Saints and are not yet activating him from IR. They had officially listed him as questionable after Friday's practice, but this has been the expectation all week. We'll check in on Jefferson's status heading toward a Week 11 clash with the Broncos. That game's currently scheduled for Sunday night, which could challenge Jefferson's usability in fantasy lineups if he carries a questionable tag. Beyond that, we'll see whether the Week 13 starts to factor into the decision on when/whether to bring Jefferson back.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Saints. He was limited in practice all week after being designated to return from IR. HC Kevin O’Connell admitted Wednesday that Jefferson playing this week “would be a little aggressive,” so we’re still expecting him to miss this one. But we’ll let you know if that changes.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. But HC Kevin O'Connell confirmed that Jefferson is unlikely to play vs. the Saints this weekend. "We have a rough timetable," O'Connell said. [Playing this week] would be a little aggressive." We'll keep you updated on Jefferson's progress, but he should be on Week 10 fantasy benches for now.

The Vikings on Wednesday designated WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) to return from IR. That means he can return to practice any time, though it doesn't necessarily mean we'll see him on the field in any way this week. Minnesota has three weeks to either activate the wideout or rule him out for the season. Reports have already said we shouldn't expect Jefferson to play in Week 10. But this designation should mean that return is approaching. We'll continue updating whenever there's news on one of fantasy's (and the NFL's) biggest stars.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings don't expect to get WR Justin Jefferson back from his hamstring injury this week. Jefferson is eligible to return for Sunday's game against the Saints after missing the past four contests. But it sounds like he'll need at least one more week of recovery time. That obviously leaves targets available for the other Minnesota pass catchers, albeit in a more difficult matchup than last week's vs. Atlanta.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday the team is "working through" when WR Justin Jefferson will return from the hamstring injury that has him on IR, according to The Athletic's Alec Lewis. O'Connell did promise an update Wednesday, so we should at least have a good idea of Jefferson's chances before setting any Week 10 lineups. But if your league runs waivers on Tuesday night, approach them as though you'll be missing Jefferson again this week.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson hauled 7 of 12 targets for 69 receiving yards in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. WR Jordan Addison also had a strong performance, logging 52 yards on 5 catches in the contest. As painful as losing QB Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles was, it seems as though the recently acquired Joshua Dobbs is going to be able to float the fantasy viability of both. Next week, Hockenson and Addison will face a stingy Saints’ defense (ninth in pass defense DVOA).

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is eligible to come off IR and play vs. the Saints next weekend. But there remains "uncertainty" about his status, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Jefferson still has to meet with the doctors, [and] the team has to decide how it wants to handle Jefferson," Schefter adds. Jefferson was originally expected to miss 4-6 weeks, so it's possible that he's just not healthy yet. It's also possible that QB Kirk Cousins' absence impacts Jefferson's return. We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation.

A Monday MRI confirmed that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 win over the Packers, NFL Network reports. Cousins will miss the rest of the 2023 season. His contract is set to void in March, and Cousins will turn 36 in August, leaving his football future very uncertain. The Vikings, meanwhile, are left with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion for now. QB Nick Mullens, who at least has 655 NFL pass attempts under his belt, is eligible to come off IR next week. We'll see if Minnesota makes a move for a free-agent QB or swings a trade before tomorrow's trade deadline. Regardless, Cousins' absence is bad news for all of the team's skill-position players.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is feared to have torn his Achilles in Sunday's win over the Packers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's typically easy for doctors to diagnose a torn Achilles without any imaging. We should get confirmation tomorrow, but Cousins' 2023 season is very likely over. His absence would leave Minnesota with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion. QB Nick Mullens is currently on IR with a back injury but is eligible to return. Regardless, Cousins' injury is horrible news for Minnesota's skill-position players.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with his hamstring injury, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. More specifically, Jefferson will undergo more imaging on that hamstring in four weeks to determine when he can return. Schefter then adds this: "Minnesota needs to help itself in the standings to ensure [Jefferson] will return. ... If the Vikings are unable to remain competitive, Jefferson would be expected to consider the reality that he and the organization did not come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension before this season." It's not the first time that Schefter has suggested that Jefferson might opt to remain out even after he's medically cleared. He's still worth keeping stashed on fantasy benches while we see how this plays out.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) "should be able to come back" when first eligible in Week 10. There's been some talk, even from ESPN's Adam Schefter, that Minnesota's record might impact whether Jefferson returns when his four-week stint on the IR is up. It's also worth remembering that Jefferson is still looking for a new contract. That clouds the situation a bit, but there's still a good chance that fantasy owners get Jefferson back in Week 10.

The Vikings will be placing WR Justin Jefferson on IR for the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. That means he'll miss at least the next four games. Jefferson's absence will obviously leave a bunch of targets for his Vikings teammates. Jefferson drew 47 through the first four games, 30% of QB Kirk Cousins' total attempts over that span. That makes rookie WR Jordan Addison a weekly starting candidate over the next month. He drew a season-high 9 targets in the K.C. game, reaching 6 receptions for the second time in three weeks. It also makes WR K.J. Osborn worth picking up in many leagues. But there's also a chance Jefferson's absence shifts the offensive approach. Minnesota leads the league in pass attempts through five weeks, sits tied for the lead in pass rate, and ranks third in pass rate over expected. Losing Jefferson figures to hurt the offense overall and could push a little more work to the running game. We're certainly not upgrading RB Alexander Mattison for this, but we'll be watching the offense's reaction over the next couple of weeks. Cousins clearly loses upside with the absence of arguably the league's best WR. Fortunately for him -- and fantasy managers -- the Vikings visit a bad Bears defense in the first game without Jefferson. That will help everyone's fantasy outlooks. An ominous Monday night date with the 49ers waits on the other side of that, however.

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