Justin Jefferson Fantasy Football Week 0 Scouting Report

Justin Jefferson
WR
, Minnesota Vikings

Age: 25
Weight: 202 lbs
Height: 6' 1"

ADP: 6
Depth Chart Ranking: 1

Pts	RecYds	RecTD	Rec	RuYds
134	1074	5	68	-12

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Scouting report

by Spencer Babbitt

· Oct 13, 2022 · 12:30 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 6 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 6 at Miami Dolphins
Justin Jefferson finished as Week 5's WR2 without scoring a touchdown, a testament to his 12 catches on 13 targets for 154 yards. Jefferson threw up duds in Weeks 2-3, but in his other three games he has yet to finish lower than the weekly WR2 in fantasy as he attracts a massive 30% target share from Kirk Cousins and continues to cook cornerbacks. Jefferson's 547 receiving yards leads the league and his 55 targets and 40 receptions both rank second. Jefferson has impressively gained 188 of his yards after the catch, which is good for fourth among WRs. The Dolphins have been average at best against opposing WRs this season, meaning they are likely to have serious issues keeping a lid on Jefferson. Jefferson is a weekly contender for the best receiver play in all of fantasy and is a no-doubt WR1 in all formats.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Oct 06, 2022 · 7:16 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 5 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 5 vs. Chicago Bears
Now that's more like it. After two slow weeks, Justin Jefferson cooked Marshon Lattimore and the Saints for 147 yards on ten catches to go along with a rushing touchdown on an end-around near the goal line. It was easy to be frustrated by Jefferson's Week 3 and 4 performances, but managers need to realize that Jefferson has finished as the weekly WR1 in his other two games. The list of fantasy players who have Jefferson's weekly ceiling is very short. He now ranks fifth in receptions and receiving yards, sixth in yards after the catch, and sixth in red zone targets. Jefferson will line up against a Chicago secondary in Week 5 that has nobody capable of putting clamps on him downfield. Jefferson is an obvious WR1 start and has massive upside against the Bears.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Sep 30, 2022 · 1:00 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 4 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 4 vs. New Orleans Saints (London)
After an explosive Week 1, Justin Jefferson has recorded two straight slow outings as the Vikings offense has fallen back to Earth in Weeks 2 and 3. Even so, Jefferson still has 29 targets through three games, good for a 27% share of Kirk Cousins' attempts. That number should be around Jefferson's floor for target share and he has a great chance to bounce back this week against the Saints, who have gotten off to a rough start in 2022 and bring a mediocre pass defense with them to London. Look for Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota coaching staff to make some adjustments to move Jefferson away from Marshon Lattimore and get him back on track for WR1 numbers in Week 4.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Sep 22, 2022 · 10:28 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 3 vs. Detroit Lions
Tough coverage from Darius Slay and a rough performance from Kirk Cousins led to a slow day from Justin Jefferson in Week 2. After exploding in Week 1, Jefferson still led the Vikings in targets with 12 against the Eagles, but his efficiency took a big step back as he only caught half of those targets for 48 scoreless yards. Better days will be ahead for Jefferson, perhaps starting in Week 3 as he and the rest of the Vikings offense are getting a massive matchup upgrade with the Lions coming to town. The Lions have been involved in two shootouts in two weeks and have conceded massive amounts of yardage to opposing offenses. Jeff Okudah is a promising young corner who could be tasked with shadowing Jefferson, but Kevin O'Connell has shown an inclination to move Jefferson away from shadow coverage and no one else in the Detroit secondary will stand a chance against him one-on-one. Still boasting elite usage and a massive target share despite a slow Week 2, Jefferson is a locked-in WR1 again in Week 3 with a huge ceiling thanks to a plus matchup.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Sep 16, 2022 · 12:16 AM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 2 at Philadelphia Eagles
Are you not entertained? If Justin Jefferson drafters were allowed to script Week 1 it might have looked exactly as it played out on Sunday. Jefferson incinerated the Packers defense all day, starting on the opening drive when he caught three passes for 47 yards and a five-yard touchdown where he was put in pre-snap motion and ran a simple route in the flat to walk into the endzone. Later in the half, Jefferson found himself running free downfield and managed to shake a defender before diving into the endzone for a 36-yard touchdown. And that's not even mentioning the several other chunk gains Jefferson was responsible for throughout the game. In the end, Jefferson finished with a week-winning 9-184-2 line to kick off the 2022 season. Kevin O'Connell pledged to move Jefferson around the formation to get the ball in his best player's hands as much as possible in the offseason, and Week 1 gave every indication he intends to follow through. The Eagles just gave up 35 points to Jared Goff and the Lions in Week 1, suggesting they have little chance of slowing down Jefferson this week. Start him with confidence as a strong candidate to again finish as the week's top wide receiver.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Sep 06, 2022 · 11:03 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers
Where do we go from here? Justin Jefferson has rampaged through opposing defenses for virtually his entire two-year career to this point, and now the Vikings are set to ramp up their passing volume as he enters his third season. The Packers boast a tough secondary, but no one can stick Jefferson one-on-one for an entire game, and rookie Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has pledged to move the superstar wideout around the formation to avoid coverages. Jefferson has gone 88-1,400-7 and 108-1,616-10 in his two seasons in the NFL, meaning any step forward would virtually guarantee a finish near the overall WR1 in fantasy. Tough matchups aside, Jefferson is a locked-in WR1 every week and will maintain a massive weekly ceiling catching passes from Kirk Cousins for a third pro campaign.

by Spencer Babbitt

· Jul 25, 2022 · 2:18 PM EDT

MIN WR Justin Jefferson - 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

2022 Fantasy Upside
Justin Jefferson's production through his first two NFL seasons is historic. His 196 catches and 3,016 receiving yards through two seasons are the most ever to start a WR's career. In 2021, Jefferson posted a 30% target share while leading the league in air yards (1,996), air yard share (43.9%), and deep targets (34). He finished sixth at the position in yards per route run at 2.76. In other words, Jefferson is incredibly efficient as a receiver and the result is a fourth-place finish in fantasy points per game amongst all WRs in 2021 at 19.4. Take Jefferson's demonstrated track record of success and now combine it with a new coaching staff that appears intent on maximizing his talents even further. Kevin O'Connell will take over as Head Coach for Mike Zimmer, whose conservative tendencies resulted in a run-first offense behind Dalvin Cook. O'Connell has already commented on his intent to move Jefferson around the team's formations and utilize him in the slot, a spot he excelled in at LSU. Given his track record through only two NFL seasons, a more pass-heavy offense would elevate Jefferson's fantasy ceiling to new heights. Jefferson would be a WR1 regardless, but the coaching changes this offseason have him in contention for the top WR in all of fantasy and in position to be a top-five pick in drafts.

2022 Fantasy Downside
There really isn't much downside to talk about with Jefferson for fantasy purposes. His first two NFL seasons have been smashing successes and he has remained healthy and a near every-snap player to this point in his career. You could nitpick about the fact that he has Kirk Cousins at QB, but Jefferson and Cousins have established a solid rapport. While Cousins may not be an elite QB, he is certainly capable of compiling enough statistical production to support Jefferson's lofty ADP.

2022 Bottom Line
Jefferson is poised to be one of fantasy's top WRs again this season. He has established himself as one of the game's most talented receivers and now has a more aggressive coaching staff to work with. Jefferson is worthy of selection in the mid-first round of drafts and has an argument to be the top WR off the board.