Fantasy Football Player Notes

Despite dealing with injuries and bad quarterback play for part of the season, Jefferson finished as the WR5 in fantasy points per game. If you exclude Week 14, in which he played only 18% of the snaps, he was the WR4 in fantasy points per game. Even after Week 14, when he was suffering through the quarterback roulette wheel, Jefferson still churned out 22.1 fantasy points per game while drawing a 30.1% target share, manufacturing 3.03 YPRR, and blazing 0.134 FD/RR (ninth-best, per Fantasy Points Data). Jefferson is quarterback-proof, so it doesn't matter to me whether Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy is under center this season. Jefferson has proven he can still be a top-five fantasy wideout with putrid passers. If Darnold and McCarthy outperform expectations, Jefferson could still have WR1 overall upside.

Father Time comes calling for all of us. The hope for Aaron Jones is that he can keep him at bay for one more year. Last season, Jones objectively wasn't healthy until the end of the season. Luckily for him, when he was healthy, we got to see that Jones has plenty left in the tank to consider reinvesting in him in fantasy for one more season. In Weeks 15-20, Jones averaged 21.6 touches and 120.3 total yards as he was a weekly stud. During that same stretch, among 47 qualifying backs, he was eighth in explosive run rate and 10th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Jones should lead the Vikings backfield in 2024 as an RB2 with RB1 upside if he can stay healthy.

Jordan Addison had a solid rookie campaign, recording 70 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns on a 17% target share. His consistent contributions earned him an average of 11 fantasy points per game, ranking him as WR28 overall. Despite his promising performance, his fantasy outlook for 2024 is clouded by uncertainty at the quarterback position following Kirk Cousins' departure. At least, the absence of T.J. Hockenson due to injury could boost Addison's role in the offense to open the season.

T.J. Hockenson would have been drafted as a top-six tight end in the vast majority of 2024 fantasy leagues if he hadn't torn his ACL and MCL on Dec. 24, putting his early-season availability for the new season in doubt. It's possible that the recovery from multiple ligament tears will keep Hockenson out until around midseason, and that he won't be his typically impactful self immediately upon his return. A healthy Hockenson is a fantasy difference-maker. He had 86 catches for 914 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, good for a TE2 finish in PPR fantasy scoring behind only Travis Kelce. Hockenson was having an even better season in 2023, with 95 catches for 960 yards and five touchdowns before the injury. Monitor the reports on Hockenson's recovery throughout the offseason, and resist the temptation to overspend on a player trying to come back from major knee surgery.

With Aaron Jones now in Minnesota, Ty Chandler will be a backup for the Vikings in 2024. In Weeks 15-18, he played at least 53% of the snaps in every game, averaging 15.3 touches and 81.8 total yards. Chandler topped 90 total yards once in that four-game span, and his per-touch efficiency was in the toilet overall. Among 49 qualifying backs, Chandler ranked 47th last season in missed tackles forced per attempt and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Chandler had hope entering this offseason that he had hopefully done enough in 2023 to have a shot at the starter's role, but sadly, that isn't in the cards for next season.

The Vikings have tabbed McCarthy as the successor to Kirk Cousins, trading up one spot to select the University of Michigan product with the No. 10 pick in the draft. McCarthy has a strong arm, good mobility and an impressive track record of success that includes a national championship last season and a 61-3 record as a starter since high school. McCarthy steps into a good situation, with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at wide receiver and T.J. Hockenson at tight end (though Hockenson sustained a major knee injury late last year). Rookie struggles may be inevitable, but McCarthy has a chance to provide QB2 fantasy value as a rookie.