Team news: Minnesota Vikings

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (concussion) and RB Aaron Jones Sr. (shoulder) are both off the injury report and good to go Sunday.

Related Players: Max Brosmer, Jordan Mason

Good news for McCarthy's development, but we're not sure it should move the radar for fantasy much, considering his recent form. He should safely be ignored in typical leagues, while Jones could be leaned on against a Vikings defense that ranks 30th in RB aFPA. Consider him on the RB2/3 fringe.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy cleared concussion protocol Thursday, his final step in returning to the starting lineup in time for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.

Related Players: Max Brosmer

The Vikings have a nice offensive infrastructure, but McCarthy has not been able to take advantage of it in his limited playing time. He's got a good matchup here but it's hard to consider him fantasy-worthy outside of SuperFlex leagues for Week 14.

Aaron Jones is likely to be considered day-to-day.

Related players: Jordan Mason

The Vikings don't believe the injury is considered serious, and the day to day tag gives him a shot to play in Week 14. If he can't go, Mason will see more work. Owners counting on Jones will want to monitor the injury report this week. The Vikings have an early Sunday game at home against the Commanders in Week 14.

The Minnesota Vikings could go from one struggling young quarterback to another this week.

J.J. McCarthy could be cleared from the concussion protocol as soon as Monday, coach Kevin O'Connell said Sunday, and he would be in line to start the Vikings' Week 14 game against the Washington Commanders.

Related players: Max Brosmer

O'Connell said McCarthy is still in protocol, but said the team will see how he does on Tuesday. The hype around Brosmer was real heading into last Week 13, but the rookie threw four INTs as the Vikings were shutout 26-0 vs. Seattle. It was the first time the Vikings have been shut out since Week 17 of the 2007 season. Their 305-game streak since then, including the regular season and playoffs, was the third-longest active streak in the NFL, the story said.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell announced J.J. McCarthy didn't clear concussion protocol and undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer will start on Sunday at Seattle.

The Seahawks defense could end up feasting in this matchup, making Brosmer an easy fade for Week 13.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, who entered concussion protocol earlier this week, is not expected to play Sunday against the Seahawks, I’m told.

Related Players: Max Brosmer

McCarthy looks like he will conveniently miss the Sam Darnold-Vikings matchup, which will showcase what Minnesota could have had if they kept the veteran. Instead, we'll get a Max Brosmer start, who should be left on waiver wires wherever possible.

Behind the scenes, the team’s reviews of Max Brosmer's play and disposition were constantly rosy. It might seem easy to say this now, with Brosmer potentially set to start Sunday in Seattle, but this opportunity almost felt like an inevitability.

Related players: J.J. McCarthy

We've been reporting on Brosmer since Carson Wentz got banged up playing when McCarthy was out earlier this season. McCarthy hasn't been great as of late, but is now in concussion protocol and his status is unknown heading into Week 13. It will be a tough draw for either QB, playing at Seattle. But, the story talks about how the Vikings have loved Brosmer since going undrafted, and he impressed HC Kevin O'Connell since the summer, running the third team offense against the Titans, leaving O'Connell to say, “Moving the team and getting the ball out. He was seeing things at a veteran-level type of eye progression.” Brosmer may not be a must-grab off the wire in typical leagues and one-QB leagues, but in deeper formats and dynasty leagues, especially superflex, if Brosmer is on your wire he could be worth stashing, as there seems to be a lot of question marks surrounding the Vikings QB room currently.

The Vikings may be turning to Max Brosmer at quarterback in Week 13.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Monday that J.J. McCarthy is in the concussion protocol. O’Connell said that McCarthy reported having concussion symptoms on the flight home after Sunday’s loss to the Packers in Green Bay.

Brosmer will take the first-team reps while McCarthy is working his way through the protocol and will start against the Seahawks if McCarthy is not cleared for the game. It's typical once a player in is protocol, they will miss the follow week's game. The undrafted rookie is 5-of-8 for 42 yards in four appearances this season, but has never started an NFL game, the story pointed out. The Vikings have said to love Brosmer's skillset, however, he gets a tough test should he start in Week 13 against Seattle.

Vikings upgraded JJ McCarthy from limited practice on Wednesday to full practice today, putting him on track to start Sunday.

Related Players: Max Brosmer, John Wolford

Looks like McCarthy should get the start here in a good matchup against the Bears defense. Consider him a streaming option and put him in top-15 consideration with a nice rushing floor.

But Justin Jefferson’s lack of energy cannot be ignored. He is the face of this franchise. His consistent brilliance has set a standard of expectation much higher than what he delivered Sunday.

The numbers Jefferson is putting up this season are nowhere near what he is used to. In his first five seasons in the league, he averaged 95.5 receiving yards per game and eight touchdowns per season. This season, with a young J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz as his two quarterbacks, he is averaging 76.2 yards and has scored only two touchdowns in nine games.

The story pointed to some instances where Jefferson would normally bring in a catch for a big play or even a touchdown, but it didn't happen in Week 10. Jefferson finished with four catches for 37 yards against the Ravens. The author said you can probably count the number of bad games Jefferson has had in his career on one hand, but unfortunately this past week was one of them. The author also pointed to a lack of sharp routes run and a lack of pursuit after an interception. It could be frustration as McCarthy was up and down. The author even said the Ravens were clutching and grabbing him a bit, too. No matter, fantasy owners have likely been disappointed with Jefferson's overall fantasy production this season for where he was drafted. Hopefully there is some emphasis by the Vikings to get Jefferson more involved going forward.