Vikings Fantasy Football Preview: Can Sam Darnold Keep Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones as Good/Great Fantasy Options?

Breaking down the Minnesota Vikings best fantasy football players for the upcoming season.

It’s time for yet another NFL team fantasy football preview.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Here’s all the team previews we’ve already covered:

AFC: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals

NFC: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints

Let’s talk about the Minnesota Vikings now.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer. Also be sure to check out the 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.

Sam Darnold Fantasy Outlook

Darnold is now the Vikings’ clear starting quarterback after the injury to rookie J.J. McCarthy.

Darnold hasn’t been a full-time starter in several seasons, and for good reason. He’s 23-35 across his 56 career starts.

He was with the 49ers last season, appearing in 10 games and making one start. Darnold completed 28 of his 46 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He’s completed 59.7% of his career passes and has 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions. Those numbers just don’t cut it in the NFL.

Darnold can add a bit as a runner. He had 15 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts last season, although some kneel downs took away yardage. He’s got 760 rushing yards and 13 scores on 209 career attempts.

The Vikings’ offense has playmakers all over it, so Darnold is set up for success if he can take care of the ball. He’s QB31 and going around pick 240 right now.

His ADP has improved since he was named the team’s starter, but he’s still not a good option in standard league drafts. He’s a streaming option in those leagues, but likely someone who won’t be startable each week.

Darnold is a backup option in deeper leagues and two-QB formats. I’d really only want to start him when one of my quarterbacks was on a bye, but Darnold might become a streaming option if he’s throwing the ball a bunch.

So to sum things up, Darnold is a fantasy option in deeper leagues, but someone who I wouldn’t want to trust for more than a couple weeks this upcoming season.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

Aaron Jones is the new top running back in Minnesota. Ty Chandler is his top backup, while the other options on the team are very unlikely to make a difference this season.

Jones has been with the rival Packers for his entire seven-year NFL career so far. He only appeared in 11 games a season ago. Jones rushed for 656 yards and two touchdowns on 142 carries, while adding 244 yards and a score on 30 catches and 43 targets.

Chandler appeared in 17 games for the Vikings a season ago, making four starts. He had 461 rushing yards and three scores on 102 attempts. Chandler added 159 yards and no touchdowns on 21 receptions and 25 targets.

Jones is the top Minnesota back to target in fantasy drafts. He’s RB18 and going around pick 18. 

Jones has upside to finish well above that spot, but durability concerns have him going in the sixth round. I’ve already mentioned that I like a couple of the backs going after Jones, so while I’m OK taking Jones near his ADP, I’d prefer some other guys instead.

Chandler is a late-round option in standard league drafts as RB46 and going around pick 144. 

I think Chandler is going to have a role on the team’s offense this season, and while he might be in start/sit stories often, I probably wouldn’t want to start Chandler all that often. He’s a better option in deeper leagues, and is going to be startable in those leagues more often. I’d prefer to skip Chandler in standard league drafts and pick him up off the waiver wire if he excels.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Justin Jefferson is healthy again and ready to lead the Vikings’ receivers. Jordan Addison has a potential suspension to deal with, but it isn’t expected until later in the season now. Jalen Nailor is the other projected starter, while Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield Sr. and Trishton Jackson are backup options right now.

Jefferson only played in 10 games a season ago. He caught 68 of his 100 targets for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. Jefferson had at least 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns in his first three seasons.

Addison had a solid rookie season, although it could have been even better since Jefferson missed time. He made 70 grabs on 108 targets for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Nailor was limited to six games last season. He had 29 yards on three catches and six targets. Nailor had 179 yards and a score on nine catches and 13 targets as a rookie in 2022.

Powell played in 17 games with Minnesota in 2023, which was his first with the team. He had 324 yards and a touchdown on 29 receptions and 44 targets. He added 17 rushing yards on five attempts.

Jackson played in seven games for the team a season ago, which was his first NFL season. He made two grabs on four targets for nine yards.

Sherfield was with the Bills last season and will now be joining his fourth team in as many seasons. In 17 games in 2023, he made 11 grabs on 22 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. Sherfield’s best season was with the Dolphins in 2022, when he had 417 yards and two scores.

Jefferson is the clear No. 1 option in Minnesota. He’s WR4 and going around pick six right now. 

I believe Jefferson is one of the most talented wideouts in the league, but really do not like his QB situation this season. We’ve seen what can happen to top receivers when the starting quarterback isn’t great, and it makes me not want Jefferson until later in the first round/or early second. I’d take guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown, and maybe even Garrett Wilson or Puka Nacua, over Jefferson just because Darnold is throwing him the ball. It’s not really that fair to Jefferson, but I just do not trust Darnold to help Jefferson be a great fantasy option.

Addison is WR46 and going around pick 103 right now. There’s concerns over a potential suspension, while the whole Darnold thing doesn’t help matters. I prefer waiting another round or two to grab Addison, or to just let someone else take the risk. There’s several guys going after Addison who I’d prefer to draft instead.

The team’s other wideouts are all waiver wire options, probably in all formats too. Jefferson and Addison will dominate the touches when they are out there, and there’s probably not much room for another wideout to consistently contribute. Maybe one will step up, but it’d likely only mean a potential streaming option in deeper leagues.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

T.J. Hockenson is working his way back from injury still, so Josh Oliver and Robert Tonyan are among the options to fill in for him until he’s healthy again.

Hockenson was enjoying a monster season before he went down with his injury. He had 95 receptions on 127 targets for 960 yards and five touchdowns.

Oliver tallied 22 catches on 28 targets for 213 yards and two scores in 17 games for the Vikings last season.

Johnny Mundt was also with the team last season, playing in 17 games too. He had 17 catches on 23 targets for 172 yards and one score.

Tonyan will be on his third NFC North team in the past three seasons. With the Bears last season, Tonyan had just 11 catches on 17 targets for 112 yards and no touchdowns in 17 contests.

Even though Hockenson is unlikely to be available in the first few weeks of the season, he’s the only Minnesota tight end I’d consider drafting in any league type. He’s TE13 and going around pick 117 right now.

He could easily be one of the better tight ends in the game again when he’s healthy, but without knowing a return date, and considering the quarterback he’s got throwing to him, I don’t like Hockenson around his ADP. I’d take a gamble on Hock if he fell a couple rounds, but even as a backup fantasy TE option, I’d prefer to spend a pick near his ADP on someone who can actually help my team for sure.

One of the other Minnesota TEs might be a streaming option until Hockenson returns, but it seems unlikely that anyone would be a good standard league option. I’d avoid drafting them and maybe add the top guy off the waiver wire if Hockenson is out longer than anticipated (which I also think could happen if Minnesota struggles early in the season).

#2024-fantasy-football