Justin Jefferson has been on the shelf with a hamstring injury for over a month, but he’s eligible to come off the IR anytime. He was “questionable” ahead of last week’s game, leading many to believe he’d return in Week 11 for Minnesota’s Sunday Night Football matchup against Denver. However, the practice updates throughout the week haven’t been overly encouraging, and now fantasy football owners are forced to wait on one of their most important start ’em, sit ’em decisions in a pivotal week.
The good news is Jefferson needs to be activated by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, so fantasy owners should have some advance warning if he’s going to miss his sixth-straight game.
We’ll continue to update this article with news on Jefferson until the official active/inactive report comes out on Sunday around 6:45 p.m. ET, so check back for the latest.
Is Justin Jefferson playing Sunday night Week 11?
Jefferson (hamstring) was limited in practice for the second straight week, leading to another “questionable” tag. Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell said earlier in the week that Jefferson is in the “ramping-up phase,” which doesn’t really tell us much, but the general vibe has seemed to be slightly more negative than positive.
Fortunately, because Jefferson is still on the IR, the Vikings will have to make a decision with him by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. If he’s activated, that’s a sure sign he’ll play against the Broncos. Otherwise, we know we’ll have to wait one more week for his return.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
If Jefferson is active, then it’s clear the Vikings think he’s healthy enough to play at least close to a full complement of snaps. He might be more limited than usual, but given his talent, he’s a must-start against a middling Broncos’ pass defense. Denver has been playing better lately, but Jefferson has proven to be matchup-proof throughout this career. He’ll have to adjust to playing with a new QB, but if you’ve waited this long for him to come back, you can’t bench him now.
If Jefferson is out again, then Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn, and T.J. Hockenson should continue to see enough targets to have fantasy relevance. Addison and Hockenson are must-starts, while Osborn makes for a high-upside WR3/flex.
