Thursday Night Football Fantasy Preview: Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn

Thursday night in Week 1 was supposed to be the highest-scoring game of the week and present all kinds of fantasy options. Instead, the teams scored just 41 combined points, and only Patrick Mahomes and tight ends Blake Bell and Sam LaPorta were top-10 at their position in PPR scoring.

Well, Thursday night of Week 2 is projected to be the second-highest scoring game of the week, according to BetMGM, so we’re back where we started, hoping for fireworks to kick off the week. Here’s a few facts heading into this matchup:

• The Vikings threw for the fourth-most yards per game last season, and the Eagles weren’t far behind at ninth-most.
• Minnesota allowed the second-most passing yards and third-most points per game in 2022.
• Philadelphia scored the second-most points per game last season; the Vikings were eighth.

We were fooled by the opening game, but don’t let that dissuade you from targeting Thursday Night Football in Week 2, with a lot of good fantasy players suiting up in the first game of the week. Here, I'm focusing on the Vikings and their pass-catchers, a group led by maybe the best receiver in the game, Justin Jefferson.

Wide Receivers

Justin Jefferson Fantasy Outlook Week 2

Let’s start with the negative side and work backward: Philadelphia gave up the least number of total passing yards per game and seventh-least points per game last year. They allowed the eleventh-least receiving yards and eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Those are tough numbers.

A little sunshine, though: they gave up the fourth-most passing yards in Week 1 and a league-average 20 points to the New England Patriots. The Eagles still have a very good defense, but they lost as many as four starters and several rotation players from 2022, and it’s hard to expect a team to repeat a dominant defensive performance year to year.

I don’t need to say much about Jefferson because he was the top player taken in many fantasy drafts, and you’ll never bench him when healthy. To give a few points in his favor, though:

• Jefferson had the most targets, receptions and receiving yards in the league last season, and he was one of 14 players to catch at least eight touchdowns.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a very good defense and gave up the ninth-least passing yards last year, but Kirk Cousins threw for 334 yards against them in Week 1; Jefferson had 150 of those on nine receptions.
• Jefferson is a top-three-ranked receiver in both standard and PPR heading into Week 2.

These two teams played in Week 2 last year, and the Eagles tore apart the Vikings in a dominating victory. Still, Jefferson led the team with six catches and had 48 yards in a game in which they scored only seven points. This season almost has to go better for the Minnesota offense when they travel to Philly, and fantasy players shouldn’t be worried about their star.

Jordan Addison Fantasy Outlook Week 2

I pegged Addison as the rookie receiver most likely to find an immediate role in his team’s passing game, and I wasn’t the only one. Week 1 was evidence for Addison's upside, as he had four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Opportunity is his biggest benefit: The Vikings threw the ball the third-most often in the league last season, and Cousins tied for the fourth-most attempts in Week 1 with 44. That’s 44 passes thrown in a game in which the Vikings were never trailing by more than one score; this team wants to chuck the ball around, no matter the situation.

Addison is around the 40^th-ranked receiver heading into Week 2, placing him in the WR3/flex conversation. He shouldn’t start over stars any week, but Addison is a super talented player who is clearly the second wide receiver in a good passing game.

He was a top-20 receiver in Week 1, and there will be more starter-level performances to come. My Week 2 recommendation is to consider Addison for WR3 and flex spots, especially in deeper leagues. A lot depends on the rest of your roster and how many receivers you start, but Addison is worth weekly consideration.

K.J. Osborn Fantasy Outlook Week 2

K.J. Osborn is the only other Minnesota receiver to consider, but it’s hard to see him making a fantasy impact with the current offensive situation. He’s more of a player to watch in case of injury because Minnesota will surely throw the rock. One note: Osborn only had three games last season with more than the 61 yards Addison had in Week 1.

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson Fantasy Outlook Week 2

I gave some harrowing numbers for receivers against the Eagles last year, so let’s do the same with tight ends: Along with allowing the least total pass yards in 2022, Philadelphia gave up the 11^th-fewest fantasy points and only three touchdowns to tight ends last year. That’s it; it's not nearly as bad as the outlook for receivers.

The Eagles also gave up the 14^th-most receptions and 19^th-most yards to tight ends, both average numbers. Hunter Henry was the top-performing fantasy tight end in both Standard and PPR scoring in Week 1, and he was matched up against Philadelphia. Henry had five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Hockenson was the third tight end taken in many fantasy drafts (after Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews), and fantasy managers aren’t going to be eager to bench him; Hockenson is probably a weekly starter. A seemingly daunting matchup against Philadelphia looks much better when diving into the tight end numbers, so our rankings landing him as a top-six tight end in Week 2 look legit.

Final Verdict

Jefferson and Hockenson are going to be must-starts every week until something changes, so get them in your lineup against Philly. The one question mark among the pass-catchers is Addison. Look at the rest of your team and determine who your options are for your WR2, WR3, and flex spots, and consider Addison as part of that group.

The Eagles are a little bit of a tougher matchup, so this may be a week to sit Addison, but there are going to be worse players in starting lineups in Week 2.