2025 Team Previews: Minnesota Vikings
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Relevant Players
Justin Jefferson, WR (ADP: 5, WR2): Jefferson “downgraded” last year at QB from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold, and his ADP remained at right around this range, and he responded by being phenomenal. Well, he’s likely downgrading again, after Darnold was allowed to leave following a 14-win season to make room for second-year QB J.J. McCarthy, who hasn’t played a single down of NFL regular season football. Part of me wishes the fantasy community would overreact to this and be a little more afraid of drafting Jefferson, because then he’d be a real value. As it stands though, he’s where he belongs, right near the top of WR rankings.
Jefferson has never had a sub-1,000-yard season in his career, and he’s only been below 1,400 yards once, when he played in just 10 games. He posted his second career double-digit touchdown season in 2024, and was second in the NFL in yards per game to Ja’Marr Chase. He’s the safest WR you can draft, because if he’s healthy you can lock in 100 receptions, 1,400 yards and 7-10 touchdowns as a floor. That’s everything you could want in a first round pick.
T.J. Hockenson, TE (ADP: 66, TE6): Hockenson is likely to be second on the team in targets and receptions this year, with heavy volume in the early going with WR Jordan Addison suspended for three games. Hockenson is a tough evaluation in terms of value though, because he’s a very safe weekly TE start, but he doesn’t quite have the ceiling of the top guys, nor the massive separation from the riskier TEs. How much better will Hockenson be than, say, David Njoku (TE9) or Tucker Kraft (TE10) when those players are going 20-40 picks later? His value will be in the eye of the beholder; if you cant stomach the idea of a later drafted TE maybe being a bust, or having someone who can goose you at any time, then sure, Hockenson will put you at ease. But he’s also got a far lower ceiling than WRs like Jameson Williams or George Pickens, or RBs like Aaron Jones or Tony Pollard. So if he floats your boat, he’s okay here, but I prefer to have more fun in the back end of the Top 10 far deeper in the draft.
**Aaron Jones, RB (ADP: 67, RB26): Speaking of Jones, what am I missing here? Jones has been a rock solid RB forever, who changed teams last season, got dinged for that and for turning 30, and then set a career-high for rushing yards (1,138). He was a Top 20 RB per PFF, posted well above-average grades as a rusher and a pass catcher, and had the most touches in his career while making it through a full 17 game slate. The age cliff is certainly a bit alarming, but he’s not even being drafted as an RB2 following 1,546 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. I’m confused, and maybe I’ll get burned, but I can see myself winding up with a bunch of rosters that have Jones on them as an overqualified RB3.
Jordan Addison, WR (ADP: 87, WR37): Addison was a player I did not respect enough leading into 2024, and he had a season that made me STFU. Addison is small, but incredibly explosive and he’s utilized in the perfect fashion on the Vikings with Justin Jefferson commanding all of every defense’s focus. Addison dominates on digs, corners and posts, which is why he averaged 13.9 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns. In two seasons Addison has found the end zone 19 times. Typically, I’d say this is a massive candidate for regression, and I’m wary of it, but those touchdowns do seem to be a product of his skill set meshing perfectly with Jefferson’s to create those bomb shots.
Now, this ADP doesn’t reflect an ascendant player. A large part of it is that you will not have him for Minnesota’s first three games due to suspension. We also have no idea whether McCarthy, who is for all intents and purposes a rookie, is capable of consistently connecting down the field or effectively operating this offense. McCarthy was not a Caleb Williams-esque prospect, and at Michigan he was largely game-managing a team that mauled opponents in the running game. I don’t like drafting players that I know will miss games, and I am not huge on McCarthy in his first year playing. I likely won’t be getting Addison on Draft Day, but he’s someone we may want to trade for in season after seeing how McCarthy looks.
Jordan Mason, RB (ADP: 90, RB33): Mason was an absolute stud last season filling in for Christian McCaffery on the 49ers, and his arrival is likely a big reason Aaron Jones is not enticing managers. There’s no doubt that Mason is talented, but when CMC returned, Mason fully returned to his backseat role. Here in Minnesota, Jones may not be CMC, but we just discussed how he had one of his best pro seasons. It’s unclear to me why Mason’s arrival would discourage the Vikings from maintaining the same usage as last season for Jones.
Mason is absolutely a player I’d target if I am drafting Jones, because he clearly is the next man up in what could be a very good offense. But there’s very little chance for him to unseat Jones in the preseason, and the likelihood is he enters Week 1 as a change of pace back, rather than a player with a valuable standalone role. Because of that, this ADP seems high unless you have already taken Jones.
Interesting Sleeper(s)
Tai Felton, WR (ADP: 365, WR124): Felton is a burner, and in a WR room that is very wide open behind Jefferson and Addison, there’s opportunity for Felton to make a name for himself with Addison sidelined. He was super productive at Maryland, racking up 1,124 yards and scoring nine touchdowns. He does not, however, play in a similar fashion to Addison. Whereas Addison burned teams deep, Felton is more suited to slot duties as he thrived on slants, curls and outs, and struggled with deeper stuff like posts, digs and corners. Felton is not going to be a plug and play into Addison’s role, but his prowess in the quick game might be helpful to a young and inexperienced QB.
Notable Players
J.J. McCarthy, QB (ADP: 133, QB19): McCarthy is the key to this whole team, and the optimism for him surprises me. He’s currently going ahead of players like Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Michael Penix Jr., and it’s unclear why beyond liking Minnesota’s offensive environment. McCarthy never threw for more than 22 touchdowns at Michigan, nor has he ever hit the 3,000-yard mark. The snap response is that Michigan was built around the run game, and that’s fine, but when you have elite, first-round talent QBs in college you build the offense around that. He was asked to protect the ball, move the chains, and not make mistakes. He succeeded in that role, and maybe he’s capable of much more, but having him learn it at the NFL level isn’t an experience I want playing out on my fantasy roster.
Taking McCarthy ahead of veterans that we have seen throw for 4,000 yards really does not make a lick of sense to me, and I do worry about his negative impact on all pass catchers here not named Justin Jefferson.
Josh Oliver, TE (ADP: N/A): Oliver actually ranked right behind Hockenson in PFF’s TE grades, placing him inside the Top 10. Oliver’s rank is boosted big time by his run blocking, but due to that he could be on the field quite a lot. Two-TE sets aren’t a bad idea with a young QB and a limited WR room, and Oliver has always proven efficient and competent when given chances.
Handcuffs
Ty Chandler, RB (ADP: N/A): Chandler seems to have fallen out of favor in Minnesota, but he’s still there and still fast. He’s a player whose talent I like, so if there ends up being opportunity for him, I’d investigate. For now though, he’s off the radar.