Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 5

Vikings receiver Rondale Moore will not be able to play in 2025.

Minnesota confirmed Moore will miss his second consecutive year after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the club’s preseason opener over the weekend.

Moore went down after he was tackled on a punt return.

Related players: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Tim Jones, T.J. Hockenson

Moore is still only 25-years-old and he spent last season on the Falcons’ injured reserve following a season-ending knee injury. With Moore not in the picture, and Addison suspended the first three games of the season, guys like Nailor and Jones may see a lot more work. It also means TE Hockenson could be in store for a ton of targets with the team a bit short at receiver.

Vikings WR Rondale Moore suffered what is being described as a “pretty significant” left knee injury during Saturday’s game against the Texans.

Moore left after the first play. If he does in fact miss the season, it will be his second straight season lost due to an injury. A right knee injury caused him to miss the 2024 season. Injuries have unfortunately been a major factor in the career of the 2021 second-round pick, which also included missing nine games in 2022 with the Cardinals. Moore was pushing for a role behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (who is suspended three games) and Jalen Nailor.

Discipline: NFL suspended Vikings WR Jordan Addison for the first three games of the 2025 regular season for violating the league’s Substances of Abuse Policy.

Related players: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Rondale Moore, T.J. Hockenson

Addison now will miss games at Chicago, vs. the Falcons and vs. the Bengals, the post went on to say. We just posted a news story the Vikings were preparing for a three-game suspension and that's exactly what they got. With Addison out, Jefferson will dominate the targets but Nailor now becomes the WR2. Moore is the team's WR3, but it's possible Hockenson ends up being the second receiving target.

Kevin O’Connell said J.J. McCarthy will play in the Vikings preseason opener on Saturday. That’d been the expected plan for the young QB, as the Vikings get him his first game action since last year’s opener.

Exactly how much McCarthy will play is still TBD.

Goessling went on to post that O’Connell said the Vikings will “will more than likely use” the joint practices with the Patriots “as our our real days,” meaning McCarthy is unlikely to play in the second preseason game. The Titans game will depend if O’Connell feels McCarthy needs a little more work, the post added. While it's been the plan all along, it hasn't helped that reports say McCarthy has struggled up to this point in camp.

A looming issue at Vikings camp is Jordan Addison's availability to start the season. My sense after asking around is the Vikings are bracing for roughly a three-game suspension for Addison, who in July pleaded no contest to a lesser charge to resolve a 2024 DUI citation. The team's projection is based in part on the league's recent precedent for three-game suspensions for DUI-related offenses.

Addison owners are likely already prepared too, but the good news is the story went on to say Addison is preparing to take the next step by becoming a "better all-around receiver." The Vikings' WR1 spot is unquestioned: That belongs to Justin Jefferson. But after nearly 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns through two seasons, Addison believes he has the capacity to be one in ability if not by title, the story added.

No NFL coach would spell out a detailed strategy in public, of course, and the truth is that the split of carries among Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and perhaps fourth-year backup Ty Chandler will vary based on game circumstances. But early training camp practices have provided some clues. Jones received the initial snaps in most drills, while Mason opened Monday's full-pads practice with the first carry of first-team drills.

Seifert goes on to say, "While it appears unlikely that the split between Mason and Jones will be 50-50, early indications are that it will be much closer to that than the Vikings' previous splits under O'Connell."

We would still put the majority of the workload on Jones' plate, but Mason should still get enough touches to be fantasy relevant. Think of them as a respective RB2 and RB4.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has announced WR Justin Jefferson has a mild hamstring strain and will be held out of practice. Jefferson will be re-evaluated next week.

Related Players: Jordan Addison, Tai Felton, T.J. Hockenson

It probably goes without saying, but it would be a massive blow to the entire offense, as well as J.J. McCarthy's bottom line if Jefferson missed any time. No need to push the WR too far down your rankings just yet, but if you had a coinflip between him and another first round option, it might be a good time to lean toward the other guy.

Kevin O'Connell on J.J. McCarthy:

"He's absolutely had a phenomenal offseason, from the time before the offseason program started through the nine weeks that we were allowed to be on the grass, and then I think it's been awesome this summer seeing these guys getting together, working. You feel the energy and the enthusiasm not only that J.J. has brought to the group, but that they're reciprocating right back to him."

It's not the first positive report we've seen about McCarthy so far. Our John Paulsen summed up McCarthy's fantasy stock: Last year, three quarterbacks drafted QB20 or later finished in the top 12: Baker Mayfield (QB21), Sam Darnold (QB31), and Bo Nix (QB23). They had a couple of things in common: 1) a strong offensive mind calling the plays, and 2) they can score fantasy points with their legs. Darnold (QB27) can run, but Klint Kubiak is not a certified offensive genius like, say, O’Connell, who coaxed a QB8 finish out of Darnold last season. That’s why I like QB19 McCarthy to meet or exceed his draft position. It’s pretty simple: In O’Connell we trust. McCarthy will run a bit and has a nice group of weapons, including Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison's case has also concluded with a fine and probation, per his agent.

Related Players: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Rondale Moore, T.J. Hockenson

Much like Rashee Rice, who was sentenced to probation mere hours before this release, we'll have to take a wait-and-see approach to whether or not Addison misses games. The best bet is likely a two-game suspension, but that's all speculation for now. If a potential suspension happens earlier in the season, we could see more work out of rookie Tai Felton than we would have imagined, and Jefferson's target share could be massive without a locked-in WR2.

On Wednesday, on the practice field inside the TCO Performance Center, J.J. McCarthy resembled his former self in almost every way. No, the 22-year-old was not doing any chest-bumping. This was more about his arm, his comfort and his command.

“He’s done an unbelievable job,” said coach Kevin O’Connell. “You forget the fact (that) this is his first runway since the injury. It’s a credit to the work he put in.”

The author said McCarthy’s throws spiraled the same way they did last year. He absorbed the play verbiage, stepped into the huddle, spit out the calls, walked to the line of scrimmage, hollered out the cadence and urgently progressed through reads. He did all of the things you have to do, with few hiccups, to be a successful quarterback in this league. But the story also warned the team isn't naming McCarthy the starter just yet. However, one thing to keep in mind is it's only Sam Howell and Brett Rypien behind him at this point, so McCarthy looks poised to be the starter this season.