Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 11

Kevin O’Connell said Justin Jefferson came in “feeling pretty good” on Monday after his quad contusion on Sunday.

Jefferson was limping around the sideline before heading back to the locker room Sunday, leaving owners to wonder if they would be without their star WR in fantasy lineups. But reports would eventually surface the injury wasn't that bad and Jefferson remains day to day. There seems to be a lot of optimism Jefferson will be able to suit up for Week 3, which is an early game against the Texans. His practice availability will be closely monitored this week.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is considered “day to day” after suffering a quadricep contusion during Sunday’s win over the 49ers.

Jefferson doesn’t seem overly concerned about the injury. “I’m not seriously injured,” Jefferson told the media after the game. Jefferson dealt with a hamstring injury last season but this sounds like it will be a minor issue. Jefferson believes he’ll be ready to go for Week 3 against the Texans.

The 49ers are now considering placing Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, which would sideline him this week plus three more games, Shanahan said.

Related Players: Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor

While it's possible that the team brings in another back, they sure weren't opposed to giving Jordan Mason a phenomenal workload last Monday. As it stands, Mason is a must-rostered, must-start option for as long as McCaffrey is out.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell says WR Jordan Addison is OUT for Sunday against the 49ers.

Related Players: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor

Nailor should step into the WR2 role but it's not likely to be enough to light up fantasy radars. Jefferson could end up getting an even higher target share than we're used to.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) feels like a long-shot for Sunday against the Vikings.

Related Players: Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo

Jordan Mason went nuclear as a last-minute start in Week 1, so he should be in fantasy lineups of McCaffrey misses again. Guerendo and even Patrick Taylor could be rotated in a little more in Week 2, but aren't worth fantasy stashes quite yet.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan pushed back at an earlier ESPN report that star running back Christian McCaffrey could miss Week 2.

When Shanahan was asked about the report from Adam Schefter after the 49ers' 32-19 win on Monday night over the Jets, Shanahan had a quip ready to go.

"That person must've been God," Shanahan said. He added that McCaffrey was a gametime decision on Monday night.

Related players: Jordan Mason

Schefter said McCaffrey pulled out of practice on Friday and no one was overly concerned at the time. But the calf was still tight on Monday before the game when he came in for treatment. However, it's not just his calf, he's also dealing with an Achilles issue. The team made the decision to play it safe since it's a long season and make CMC inactive, Schefter said. Schefter added it's a "strong possibility" McCaffrey won't play in Week 2, at Minnesota on turf. Mason had a huge game taking over for CMC on Monday night against the Jets. It's not necessarily a surprise as the team talked up Mason most of the summer. This is obviously worth monitoring and we can probably expect many different updates for the rest of the week leading up to Week 2. Mason should again be a nice play if CMC can't go. The Niners-Vikings game is also an early game on Sunday so owners will have time to adjust.

All opposing defenses magnetically float toward Justin Jefferson, regardless of who is on the field with him, dictating one-on-one opportunities for teammates. Having players who can win in those instances is partially why the Vikings traded for T.J. Hockenson and drafted Jordan Addison. It’s also why Sunday might serve as an inflection point for third-year receiver Jalen Nailor.

Kevin O'Connell was quoted in the story saying, "But I’m going to tell (Nailor) to prepare as if he’s going to be playing a lot more snaps and a lot more … early down snaps. Because that’s why he’s here.” Addison's status is uncertain for Week 2. We reported Monday he's dealing with significant soreness, so it's possible he can't go. But even if he can, he'll likely be limited, meaning Nailor could have a more significant role. With Hockenson already out, and if Addison can't go, teams will likely turn their attention to Jefferson, which mean Nailor could be poised for a lot of snaps and targets. He's a name to consider if you've already found yourself lacking at the WR position.

The 49ers will have wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams against the Jets on Monday night, but they will not have running back Christian McCaffrey.

Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor and Isaac Guerendo are the available backs for the Niners.

Definitely a shocker and likely a big blow to fantasy owners. According to the story, McCaffrey said on Friday that he had no doubt he would play and there was plenty of optimism from head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch as well. McCaffrey missed most of the summer with a calf injury and is listed with an Achilles issue as well, the story said. Mason had a great camp and seemed to get a lot of attention from coaches this summer, and likely should get a bulk of the workload tonight against the Jets. Hopefully CMC owners backed themselves up during drafts by nabbing Mason. If Mason is still on your wire, he's worth picking up for any team in case CMC's issues are longer term. Taylor and Guerendo could get work for the Niners as well - if you're in a pinch losing CMC. From the Jets side, Braelon Allen and Israel Abanikanda could see touches behind Breece Hall.

Jordan Addison has "pretty significant soreness" in his injured ankle, per Kevin O'Connell.

The post went on to say the Vikings will be "smart" with Addison, according to O'Connell. The post pointed out the team knows Addison healed quickly from his previous ankle injury during training camp. As we pointed out earlier Monday, owners will want to have a backup plan for Addison heading into Week 2.

Jordan Addison injured his other ankle.

Related players: Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell

The injury is not the ankle that cost him a few weeks late in camp, per Kevin O'Connell. Addison will be evaluated again when the team returns to Minnesota, the post went on to say. Owners counting on Addison may want to start considering other options for Week 2. Nailor and Powell are up next on the depth chart at WR.