Tag: Justin Jefferson

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson listed as an underrated player through first half of season

Has Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson exceeded your expectations so far?

People knew the Vikings had to eventually replace Stefon Diggs, but they didn’t know the team could do so this quickly.

Minnesota picked wideout Justin Jefferson with one of the draft choices the Vikings got from the Bills. Many expected Jefferson to replace some of the production from Diggs’ 2019, but I don’t think people thought he could be this good.

Jefferson had 563 receiving yards in seven games and just five starts. He also has three touchdown receptions.

Our friends over at Touchdown Wire like what they see from Jefferson thus far. The outlet listed the rookie as an underrated player through the first half of the season. Here’s what it said about Jefferson:

“Primarily a slot receiver at LSU, Jefferson has proven to have every asset you want in a primary outside receiver — tremendous route understanding and awareness, the ability to combine speed and leverage, and a real knack for making the contested catch. The Vikings have wisely decided to re-create their offense around the run game in the second half of the season, but when Jefferson does get the ball, watch out.”

The Vikings offense has looked better recently, and some of that can be contributed to having an option at wideout besides Adam Thielen. If Minnesota wants to get back on track, Jefferson needs to keep producing.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson ranked as the No. 1 rated rookie on PFF

A well-deserved honor for Vikings rookie wideout Justin Jefferson.

Justin Jefferson was good in limited targets for the first two games — then, he found his fit in the offense.

Jefferson burst out against the Titans. He tallied 175 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Since then, he has gone for over 100 receiving yards in a game two more times.

From making contested catches, to finding ways to pick up yardage after the catch, Jefferson has been very impressive as a rookie. Pro Football Focus likes what it sees so far. The outlet tabbed Jefferson as the No. 1 rookie in its rankings for 2020. Here’s what it said about the LSU product:

“Jefferson is just six games deep into his rookie campaign and has already recorded not one, not two, but three of the 10 best single-game receiving grades ever recorded by a rookie wide receiver in the PFF era (since 2006). Those have come in three of the four last games, and he’ll look to keep this hot streak alive against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8, fresh off his Week 7 bye.”

Jefferson wasn’t a huge factor in the first Packers game, but that was before he got very involved in the offense. We’ll have to see whether Green Bay can hold him in check once again.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson named Rookie of the Week

Jefferson finished with 166 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons.

After finishing with nine catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Week for Week 6.

Not only has Jefferson been one of the best rookies in the league, he’s been one of the best wide receivers.

On the season, he has 28 catches for 537 yards, a mark that ranks fifth in the NFL and first among rookies.

Jefferson is graded as Pro Football Focus’ top wide receiver through six weeks.

We won’t be able to see Jefferson in Week 7 with the Vikings are on bye, but he’ll be back at it in Week 8 against the Packers in Green Bay.

Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 7

Ranking the top and bottom rookies looking ahead in fantasy football.

Nearly six weeks and more than a third of the way through NFL 2020, the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders.

In our fantasy football realm, the same process is underway with the wheat starting to distinguish itself from the chaff. As usual, this season’s crop of rookies is well-represented in both bins, and that’s our focus in this week’s edition of TTT.

We starting by ranking the top eight fantasy rookies so far and judging their rest-of-season staying power at their current level of production on a 1-10 scale, going from least to most likely. Then we’re doing the same with our top five rookie fantasy disappointments, and rating their respective chances to improve upon their current level of production on the same 1-10 scale.

It’s all to help fantasy general managers make better lineup and roster decisions with the typically volatile first-year players as the stakes grow increasingly larger in the rapidly approaching second half of the fantasy season.

Arguably, the case can be made that a rookie or two (see Edwards-Helaire, Clyde) simultaneously belongs on both of our lists here, but to avoid any spoiler alerts, you’ll just have to read all the way through to find out if any do, in fact, achieve that dual distinction.

One quick note on our fantasy rookie ranks: More weight is given to the more valuable fantasy positions where scarcity helps elevate a running back over a similarly performing wide receiver, for instance. A rookie’s average draft position is factored in, as well, with later-round standouts given precedence over a similarly performing high draft pick.

And you’ll soon notice that no tight ends appear on either list, simply because there have been no fantasy rookies of note so far this season.

All that established, we dive right into our top eight 2020 fantasy rookies to date, with rankings and statistics through play Sunday in Week 6 …

Best fantasy rookies (so far)

8. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Current position rank (total standard-scoring fantasy points): 16 (125.5 in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 19

Most impressive achievement: The No. 1 overall pick has delivered consistent production, putting up at least 20.1 fantasy points in five of his six starts and throwing for at least 300 yards in four of six outings.

Staying power: 7. There are worries about Cincy’s offensive line — only the Eagles’ Carson Wentz at 25 times has been sacked more than Burrow’s 24 takedowns — but he’s surrounded by a strong cast of weapons and also has displayed some underrated rushing ability with 87 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to date.

7) RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

Current position rank (fantasy points): 19 (74.2 in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 7

Most impressive achievement: The expected workload has been there with CEH averaging 21.3 touches and 113.7 yards from scrimmage per game, but the lack of touchdowns has been a downer as he’s accounted for only one of K.C.’s five rushing scores.

Staying power: 4. At least Edwards-Helaire owners could cling to the fact that he’s garnered 79 percent of the running back touches over the team’s first six games. But that number almost certainly will go down, starting in Week 7, with the Chiefs signing veteran RB Le’Veon Bell, who figures to command a hefty share of targets and goal-line work. And if Bell is more like Steelers Bell than Jets Bell, CEH could find himself relegated to a No. 2 role.

6) RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Current position rank (fantasy points): 14 (70.9 in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 18

Most impressive achievement: The no-frills Taylor has had at least 14 touches and 62 total yards in each contest and has been efficient as a receiver, catching 16-of-17 targets for 162 yards.

Staying power: 9. It’s a bit concerning that Taylor has only seen 12 rushing attempts in each of the last two contests and has scored once since Week 3, but he’s the lead back on a run-heavy team that doesn’t need aging QB Philip Rivers dropping back too many times.

5) QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Current position rank (fantasy points): 22 (107.2 in 4 games)

Positional ADP: 31

Most impressive achievement: Since stepping in on short notice for the injured Tyrod Taylor in Week 2, Herbert has hit the ground throwing, compiling at least 22 fantasy points in each of his first four starts and totaling 10 TDs with only three interceptions. His average of 26.8 fantasy points per game ranks seventh at the position — impressive for a rookie and even more impressive in a season of record offensive numbers across the league.

Staying power: 8. Herbert is surrounded by a strong supporting cast — especially when RB Austin Ekeler returns — but he’s even produced while targeting unknowns such as WRs Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson and has the makings of a surprise QB1 finisher.

4) WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Current position rank (fantasy points): 4 (71.7 in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 48

Most impressive achievement: After a concerning slow start with only six total targets and 7.0 fantasy points combined in his first two games, Jefferson has been nothing less than fantasy’s No. 1 wideout since Week 3, reeling in 23-of-30 targets for 467 yards, three TDs and 66.7 fantasy points.

Staying power: 6. Jefferson has definitely started on a boom-or-bust track, but he and fellow top-five fantasy WR Adam Thielen have combined to command 44.9 percent (75 of 167) of the Vikings’ passing game targets so far. Minnesota always prefers to lean on the ground game, but a brutal defense is likely going to force Kirk Cousins to air it out more than the Vikes would like.

3) WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

Current position rank (fantasy points): 17 (56.6 in 5 games)

Positional ADP: 37

Most impressive achievement: Lamb has not only rapidly fit in with one of the league’s best offenses and passing attacks, he’s leading the way with 433 receiving yards and 56.6 fantasy points — tops among the team’s talented pass-catchers. And it’s his consistency that gives him the slight edge over Jefferson here as Lamb has had at least 10.9 fantasy points in every outing.

Staying power: 6. There’s some real and justifiable concern with starting QB Dak Prescott going down for the season in Week 5, but veteran Andy Dalton is among the league’s more capable backups. There’s also the narrative that the Cowboys will turn to the run more now with Dalton under center after ranking as the league’s second pass-heaviest offense (66.2 percent) through Week 5, but Dallas’ abominable defense (league-high 36 points surrendered per game entering Monday night) doesn’t figure to play along.

2) RB James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Current position rank (fantasy points): 8 (80.9 points in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 53

Most impressive achievement: Undrafted out of FCS Illinois State, Robinson has seized hold of the Jaguars’ starting RB gig and hasn’t let go. He has accounted for 85 of the Jags’ 91 RB rushing attempts and 362 of the team’s 379 RB rushing yards while catching 23 of 26 targets for 207 yards. Only two other players (Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry) through Sunday had more yards from scrimmage than Robinson’s 569.

Staying power: 8. Even though the Jags own the league’s lowest rushing-play percentage (32.3), when they do run, it’s with Robinson and he’s well on the way to becoming this season’s out-of-nowhere RB1 surprise.

1) WR Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers

Current position rank (fantasy points): 5 (71.6 in 5 games)

Positional ADP: 78

Most impressive achievement: Pittsburgh’s latest wideout sensation has quickly emerged as the best fantasy weapon on a stacked Steelers offense, thanks largely to his six TDs (two rushing), tied for second among league wide receivers. He leads the Steelers in receiving yards (335) with 141 more than JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has six more receptions.

Staying power: 5. Claypool is tied for only fourth on the team in targets (24) and that’s with fellow wideout Diontae Johnson (26 targets) missing nearly two full games with a back issue. Claypool also has been involved as a ball-carrier with six rushes for 21 yards and two TDs, but his overall video game numbers — 14.0 yards per target and six TDs on only 23 touches — are simply unsustainable and don’t be surprised if he falls back toward the WR pack in the Steel City.

Most disappointing fantasy rookies (to date)

5) WR Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles

Current position rank (total standard-scoring fantasy points): 118 (9.6 in 2 games)

Positional ADP: 53

Statistical shortfall: With pass-catchers Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Dallas Goedert battling injuries, the door was wide open for the speedy first-round selection to step in and make an immediate impact, but he’s fallen prey to the same Philly injury curse (torn thumb ligament) and has been limited to 100 early-season snaps, resulting in five catches for 96 yards. That’s deprived the Eagles and many of his fantasy owners of a much-needed weapon.

Chances to improve: 9. Reagor is due back after Philly’s Week 9 bye, and even if he’s slow to heal, misses that mark by a couple weeks and winds up playing only half a season with average WR4 production, it will be better than next to nothing.

4) RB Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills

Current position rank (fantasy points): 62 (13.4 in 3 games)

Positional ADP: 40

Statistical shortfall: We have another injured-addled pro debut so far here, as Moss entered Buffalo’s Week 6 Monday night game with only 20 touches on 67 snaps in two games due to a toe issue. He exited with 25 touches. Moss also had a track record of missed time and health issues in college at Utah, and so far, it’s looking like more of the same at the next level.

Chances to improve: 9. Buffalo lead Devin Singletary has been struggling, totaling only 46.5 fantasy points in the Bills’ first six games, so Moss has a legit shot at taking over Buffalo lead-back duties if he can stay on the field.

3) WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

Current position rank (fantasy points): 52 (32.6 in 5 games)

Positional ADP: 39

Statistical shortfall: The opportunity has been there for the taking in a Denver offense missing three of its top passing-game targets (TE Noah Fant and WRs Courtland Sutton and K.J. Hamler) for most of the season, but the first-round pick has failed to take full advantage, catching 17 of a team-most 33 targets for 266 yards and one TD so far. Dropped passes have been a problem in Jeudy’s inefficient 51.5 catch percentage.

Chances to improve: 8. Sutton is gone for the season and QB Drew Lock has only played two full games so far. The Broncos also have gone up against some tough secondaries (Steelers, Bucs and Patriots) so look for Jeudy’s efficiency and production to start trending in the right direction, even though his fantasy ceiling looks to be WR3 production.

2) RB J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

Current position rank (fantasy points): 40 (34.8 points in 6 games)

Positional ADP: 30

Statistical shortfall: If we had known this summer that the rushing numbers (attempts and yards) would be down for both QB Lamar Jackson and lead RB Mark Ingram this season and the Ravens would still be a top-two NFL rushing squad, Dobbins would’ve been a much hotter fantasy commodity. Instead, Dobbins is averaging only six touches and 38 total yards per contest, and following 14.2 fantasy points with two TDs in Week 1, he hasn’t cleared 6.1 points or found the end zone in five games since.

Chances to improve: 7. Dobbins is averaging 1.7 more yards per rush and 1.6 more yards per touch than either Ingram or fellow RB Gus Edwards and has caught 11 passes to a combined three for the other two backs, easily making him the team’s most efficient RB so far. That should earn the rookie more touches and snaps down the stretch, especially if Ingram’s Week 6 ankle injury proves to be anything serious.

1) RB Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams

Current position rank (fantasy points): 75 (11.7 in 4 games)

Positional ADP: 25

Statistical shortfall: The second-round pick did miss Weeks 2 and 3 with a rib injury, but has seen only 27 touches in the Rams’ other four contests — including none Sunday night in Week 6 — for a total of 117 scoreless total yards. Fellow backs Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown, meanwhile, are averaging 13.2 and 11.2 touches per contest, making Akers the third wheel in the L.A. backfield.

Chances to improve: 5. Akers certainly has potential for bigger and better things in an above-average offense, but the other two backs appear to offer more explosion (Henderson) and sound veteran consistency (Brown), and the rookie really might need an injury to one of those two to approach any kind of usable touches.

Minnesota WR Justin Jefferson speaks to the Vikings’ 1-5 start so far

Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson said he just wants the Vikings to get their swagger back.

There are plenty of candidates to place blame on for the Vikings’ 1-5 start to 2020. Justin Jefferson is not one of them.

The rookie wide receiver has tallied more than 100 yards receiving in three of the team’s six games. He has 537 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions so far.

Jefferson recently spoke about the Vikings’ woes with reporters. He said that nobody wants to come home from a game after a loss and that this has been a learning experience.

“I don’t do this for me,” Jefferson said, via Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. “I want to go out there and win games. I don’t like coming home with a loss. I’ve never been on a losing team. I just want our swagger back.”

The Vikings defense has been a disappointment, but some rookie mistakes were somewhat expected for that side. The offensive side of the ball is what really has been a let down. Jefferson has thrived, but players such as Kirk Cousins and Dru Samia have been disappointing.

The Vikings’ 2020 first-round draft picks are looking like long-term starters 

The Vikings’ season might be disappointing, but Justin Jefferson and Jeff Gladney have not been.

Silver linings are hard to find on a 1-5 team that had playoff hopes before the season began.

After making it to the Divisional Round last season, those hopes are all but gone in 2020. There have been plenty of reasons as to why the Vikings have gotten off to such a slow start, but their two first-round draft picks have shown flashes of becoming future stars. 

Actually, Justin Jefferson has shown more than just flashes, and has filled the shoes of Stefon Diggs better than expected. Through his first six games he has totaled 28 catches for 537 yards and three touchdowns. 

Those numbers would be impressive for a veteran receiver in the league. They’re even more impressive considering Jefferson didn’t play a big role through the first two games of the season. 

What makes Jefferson so good at such a young age is a combination of things. He has sticky hands, great at making contested catches and is fascinating to watch after the catch. The Diggs departure wasn’t easy for the Vikings fan base, but finding a gem like Jefferson has made the transition easier. 

Jeff Gladney also didn’t play much of a factor through the first couple games, but the injuries in the secondary forced him onto the field. Although he has gotten burned in coverage a few times, Gladney has shown off his physical playing style that should remind Vikings fans of some of the great corners that played in Minnesota before him. 

Being a willing tackler at the cornerback position isn’t always easy to find, but Gladney has ranked as the best at his position against the run, according to PFF. 

It was expected that the youth in the secondary would cause a slow start and it has done exactly that in the passing game. No preseason and a limited offseason didn’t give Gladney the typical amount of reps a rookie would usually have. It’s fair to expect him to show progress in coverage as the year goes on, but his run defense has already proven to be great. 

The Vikings have missed on some of their more recent first-round picks and it’s never a guarantee that they’ll pan out at the NFL level. However, their two 2020 selections look like future pieces they’ll be able to build around for many years to come. 

Tunnel Vision of Week 6

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Ryan Tannehill 364-0 4
 Matt Ryan 371-8 4
 Carson Wentz 213-49 3
 Kirk Cousins 343-0 3
 Lamar Jackson 186-108 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Derrick Henry 22-212
2-52		 2
D’Andre Switft 14-116
3-7		 2
James Conner 20-101
1-1		 1
Myles Gaskin 18-91
4-35		 0
Ronald Jones  23-113
2-8		 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Justin Jefferson 9-166 2
Julio Jones 8-137 2
Will Fuller 6-123 1
A.J. Brown 5-56 2
Brandin Cooks 9-68 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Anthony Firkser 8-113 1
Trey Burton 4-58 2
Darren Fells 6-85 1
George Kittle 7-109 1
Hayden Hurst 4-57 1
Placekickers XP FG
Brandon McManus 0 6
Younghoe Koo 4 4
Justin Tucker 3 3
Cairo Santos 2 3
Joey Slye 1 3
Defense Sck-TO TD
Steelers 4-2 1
Ravens 1-6 0
Buccaneers 2-5 1
Giants 2-2 1
Broncos 3-4 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Baker Mayfield – Benched
RB Mark Ingram – Ankle
RB Joe Mixon – Foot (returned)
RB Miles Sanders – Ankle
RB Raheem Mostert – Ankle
WR Antonio Golden-Gandy – Hamstring
WR C.J. Board – Neck
TE Tyler Eifert – Neck
TE Zach Ertz – Foot
TE Jonnu Smith – Ankle
TE Robert Tonyan – Ankle

Chasing Ambulances

A lighter week is always welcomed.

RB Mark Ingram – Early speculation was that his ankle injury would not be anything significant and that he has a bye week to heal up in any case. Notable was that the Ravens turned to the rookie J.K. Dobbins for nine runs while Gus Edwards ended with 14 on the day. Unless surprising news comes back, Ingram should be fine for Week 8 against the Steelers.

RB Miles Sanders – Injured himself at the end of a 74-yard run when he was pulled down from behind and lost a fumble that was recovered by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside for the touchdown.  There has been no word by late Sunday as to his status but he remained on the sideline after leaving the injury tent – usually a positive sign.  Boston Scott would take his place if needed against the Giants this week, but an MRI on Monday should determine the severity.

RB Raheem Mostert – Left the win over the Rams with an ankle injury, and this time it didn’t just turn into Jerick McKinnon as the replacement. JaMycal Hasty is an undrafted back out of Baylor who was promoted from the practice squad. Hasty closed out the win over the Rams with nine carries for 37 yards. If Mostert’s ankle ends up costing him even more missed games, Hasty is making a case for a shared backfield with McKinnon.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

Monday Night – The Cardinals are at the Cowboys on ESPN at 8:15 PM EST as was always scheduled. The Chiefs are at the Bills on Fox at 5:00 PM EST as the “early” game.

WR A.J. Green – Faced the Colts defense and still caught a season-best 8-of-11 targets for 96 yards. This was the first sign of life in the aging wideout and enough to get him back off the waiver wire after just one catch over the last two games combined.

WR Tee Higgins – The Bengals rookie caught six passes for 125 yards for his first 100-yard game. By the looks of his growing chemistry with Joe Burrow, it is the first of many to come.

QB Philip Rivers – After five mediocre games that never produced more than one touchdown, Rivers posted 371 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts’ win over the Bengals. And he did it, sadly, without the use of T.Y. Hilton (1-11).

RB D’Andre Swift – Enjoyed his breakout game in the Lions’ win over the Jaguars. The rookie ran for 116 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns while Adrian Peterson ran 15 times for 40 yards. Swift added three receptions for seven yards as well. This was the first time that he was allowed more than five carries in a game.

WR Justin Jefferson – The Vikings rookie already recorded a 100-yard effort in Week 4 and upped that with nine catches for 166 yards and two scores in the loss to the Falcons. He’s just a rookie and the Vikings don’t throw as much as most teams, but Jefferson is currently the No. 6 fantasy wideout.

RB Phillip Lindsay – The Patriots have long had a good defense and yet Lindsay replaced the ill Melvin Gordon and ran for 101 yards on 23 carries at their stadium. The Broncos line has exceeded expectations.

QB Baker Mayfield – Benched in the third quarter for Case Keenum, Mayfield only passed for 119 yards and one score with two interceptions when he left. HC Kevin Stefanski said it was to protect his quarterback in what had become an obvious loss and he had already been sacked four times. It was the first time that Mayfield was held to fewer than two passing scores since Week 1but also his fourth game with under 200 passing yards.

TE Anthony Firkser – Jonnu Smith had a nice matchup with the Texans but sprained his ankle after just one catch. In his place, Firkser became the receiving tight end and led the team with eight catches for 113 yards and one touchdown that helped no one.

The Jets – It bears mentioning. The Jets are now the only winless team in the NFL and come off a shutout loss to the Dolphins, 24-0. HC Adam Gase remains employed despite being only slightly more popular than COVID-19.

TE Mike Gesicki – No matter that he caught five passes for 91 yards in Week 5 in the win at the 49ers. Or that Adam Shaheen only totaled two catches for seven yards on the year. In Week 6, Gesicki failed to catch either targets while Shaheen led the Dolphins with 51 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

The NFC East – The Cowboys are guaranteed to lead the division after playing the Cardinals on Monday night because they are already 2-3 and none of the other three teams have more than one win after six games. And yes, they still get to send a team to the playoffs.

RB Ronald Jones – The Buccaneers running back gained 113 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and added two catches for eight yards in the dominating win over the Packers. That makes three straight weeks that Jones rushed for over 100 yards and even less reason to expect Leonard Fournette will experience a resurgence in 2020. Jones is currently the No. 12 fantasy running back despite being drafted as just fantasy depth.

RB vs. TE touchdowns – Only 13 running backs scored a touchdown in Week 6. There were 14 tight ends with a touchdown. That’s just wrong. Only George Kittle, Hayden Hurst, Rob Gronkowski, and T.J. Hockenson are likely on a fantasy roster and the 10 others are not. Trey Burton, Cole Kmet, Anthony Firkser, Nick Boyle, Logan Thomas, Adam Shaheen, Durham Smythe, Darren Fells, Jack Doyle, and Jason Croom – take your pick.

WR Travis Fulgham – The Eagles wideout turned in 75 yards and a touchdown on six catches. He’s only played in three games this year and scored in each while averaging 95 yards.

QB Kyle Allen – The starting quarterback of the Football Team may not sound that fantasy relevant, but Allen threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Giants. More notably, they play the Cowboys this week and then the Giants again in Week 9 after their bye. Those two matchups alone make owning Allen worthwhile.

Where’s the aspirin? – Of the 24 quarterbacks that started so far this week, 12 of them failed to pass for over 200 yards. Only four failed to throw for over 200 yards in Week 5.

Huddle player of the week

Derrick Henry  –  The Titans remain one of only three unbeaten teams and Henry has been instrumental in attaining that record. He had yet another of his monster games when facing the Texans on Sunday. King Henry ran for 212 yards on 22 carries and added two receptions for 52 yards. His first touchdown was merely a 94-yard jaunt and his last was as the wild cat quarterback when he won the game with a five-yard run.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Philip Rivers 371 3 QB Aaron Rodgers 160-14 0
RB Giovani Bernard 8-15
3-13		 1 RB Mark Ingram 5-20 0
RB Phillip Lindsay 23-101 0 RB Alexander Mattison 10-26
1-4		 0
WR Keelan Cole 6-143 0 WR Mike Evans 1-10 0
WR Travis Fulgham 6-75 1 WR T.Y. Hilton 1-11 0
WR James Washington 4-68 1 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 2-6 0
TE Anthony Firkser 8-113 1 TE Mark Andrews 2-21 0
PK Brandon McManus   6   FG PK Jake Elliott  zip
Huddle Fantasy Points = 146 Huddle Fantasy Points = 24

Now get back to work…

Former LSU star Justin Jefferson has huge day for Vikings

Former LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught a total of five passes for 70 yards in his first two career NFL games. 

Former LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught a total of five passes for 70 yards in his first two career NFL games.

Since that time, Jefferson has caught 14 passes for 201 yards in the past three weeks.

In Week 6, Jefferson’s Minnesota Vikings hosted the winless Atlanta Falcons. With Atlanta having one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Jefferson was poised for another big day.

He delivered.

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The No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Jefferson caught nine passes for 166 yards and scored two touchdowns in Minnesota’s 40-23 loss to Atlanta.

On his first touchdown catch, Jefferson showed tremendous individual effort in getting the ball across the goal line to get the Vikings on the board.

Jefferson has now gone over 100 yards in three of his first six NFL games, putting him in exclusive company.

Since 2018, Jefferson has the top two performances in receiving yards by a rookie, impressive considering some of the wide receivers chosen in the last three years.

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Jefferson and the Vikings are set to play the Green Bay Packers next in Week 7.

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Vikings WR Adam Thielen talks about his role as a leader

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is now the oldest player in the wide receiver room.

Minnesota wideout Adam Thielen is just 30 years old, but his age makes him the oldest player in the Vikings wide receiver room.

Thielen recently talked about his role as an older wide receiver who can teach the younger players on the team. Here’s what he said:

“It helps me stay young,” Thielen said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “Being around these guys and learning these things that they like to do and just how things change the younger you are. I think it’s been a really cool dynamic to be able to [share] some life lessons as well. So much of the talk is about football and what we do on the football field, but I think it’s so important when we’re together 24-7 that you’re able to [share] life lessons and things like that and not only learn from your mistakes on the football field but mistakes that I’ve made in my life that I can share with these guys and try to help them not make those same mistakes.”

Justin Jefferson said he watches Thielen, especially in practice.

“[I’m] trying to learn everything that I can on how to run different routes or what do you do at the top of routes if the DB is playing this type of way,” Jefferson said, via Cronin. “Adam has a lot of years under his belt in the NFL, and I’m just trying to learn everything I can from him. He’s giving me reliable information and he’s helping me every step of the way.”

Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson listed as Minnesota’s best building block

The Minnesota Vikings have a player to build off of in wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Minnesota still has its share of problems for the 2020 season, but a second wide receiver doesn’t appear to be one of them.

Through the first two games, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled to find wide receivers besides Adam Thielen.

But then, Justin Jefferson broke out. The rookie has put up over 100 receiving yards in two consecutive matchups.

Bleacher Report thinks Jefferson is now the Vikings’ best building block. Here’s what the outlet said about the choice:

“Jefferson has helped open up the field for quarterback Kirk Cousins, and he’s taking pressure off Adam Thielen, who hauled in eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in the win over Houston.

The big-play potential Jefferson showcased in college with the LSU Tigers is now carrying over into the NFL. The Vikings now have another dynamic one-two punch at wide receiver, which will allow the front office to focus on other offensive areas of need over the next few years.”

The 0-2 start brought about critics asking for the Vikings to draft a quarterback or even another wide receiver in the first round come 2021. Since then, Jefferson has helped Cousins and gotten the offense back on track. If he can keep this up, Minnesota has found its wide receiver two.