After missing his entire rookie year recovering from knee surgery, asking J.J. McCarthy to take a Year 2 leap starting for the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be too big an ask. Now Kyler Murray has entered a QB competition, with the hope that he can elevate Justin Jefferson and company back to offensive levels of production under HC Kevin O'Connell. Ian Hartitz and Dwain McFarland bring you everything you need to know about the Vikings for fantasy football with their 2026 fantasy football cheat sheet, highlighting their fantasy football rankings, projections and more.

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Minnesota Vikings Cheat Sheet for 2026

• 2025 Record / Rank in PPG: 9-8 / 20.2 (26)
• 2026 Proj TDs per game: 2.2 (rank: 21)
• Head Coach: Kevin O’Connell
• Offensive Playcaller: O’Connell (OC Wes Phillips)
• Projected Plays Per Game: 60.8 (rank: 19)
• Projected Dropback Rate: 60.8% (rank: 13)
• Matthew Freedman’s Projected Win Total: 8.6
• Offensive Line Grades: B
• Key Departure: Jalen Nailor
• Key Additions: Kyler Murray, Demond Claiborne

Vikings Fantasy Football Rankings and Depth Chart

QB: Kyler Murray (QB16) | J.J. McCarthy (QB34)

RB: Aaron Jones (RB36) | Jordan Mason (RB39)

WR: Justin Jefferson (WR6) | Jordan Addison (WR45) | Jauan Jennings (WR56)

TE: T.J. Hockenson (TE22)

2026 Vikings Fantasy Football Overview 

Kyler Murray is the frontrunner to win this alleged competition. While 2025's "soft benching" for Jacoby Brissett featured Murray putting up career-worst passing numbers, the pint-sized speedster has posted high-end real-life—and especially fantasy—numbers on multiple occasions during his seven-year career. Murray joins Malik Willis as the top 2 later-round dual-threat options in fantasy.

Together, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason largely split snaps and touches alike for a middling Vikings offense in 2025. However, both reached a 70%+ snap rate at different points of the season, indicating something close to a fantasy-friendly workhorse role is just one injury away to either from appearing. Of course, Mason profiles as the safer bet when considering age (27 vs. 31) and injury history. Credit to the ex-49er for ranking sixth in the NFL in rushing yards over expected per carry last season (+1.02, Next-Gen Stats).

Justin Jefferson's brutal 2025 featured career-worst counting and efficiency numbers in virtually every meaningful statistic. Overall, he finished as fantasy's WR30 in PPR points per game. At the risk of jinxing things, it shouldn't be able to get any worse—and overall WR1 heights certainly remain on the table should Kyler get back to partying like it's 2021. Sidekick Jordan Addison also had a rough time adjusting to the J.J. McCarthy experience; the 24-year-old talent posted upside WR3 numbers in 2023 (WR31) and 2024 (WR25) alike and offers sneaky-solid late-round bounceback potential.

T.J. Hockenson was viewed as a likely cap casualty this offseason, but a restructured contract will keep him wearing purple and gold in 2026. Like everyone else in Minnesota, 2025 was rough, but we are only two years removed from Hockenson finishing as fantasy's TE2 in PPR points per game. Last season Hockenson carried a TE6 ADP in August—this year he's going outside the position's top-20 options.

Utilization Notes for the Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson averaged just 11.9 fantasy points in 2025—almost unfathomable for an alpha still earning a 31% target share (4th). The culprit was Minnesota's QB room. After averaging 277 (1st) and 258 (5th) passing yards per game in 2023–24, the Vikings collapsed to 189 (30th) in 2025. So, Minnesota signed Kyler Murray to a one-year, $1.3M prove-it deal. Murray averaged 220 yards over three seasons—below league average—but paired with Kevin O'Connell, there's hope he can stabilize the offense. At 27, Jefferson offers top-3 WR upside, but the QB uncertainty makes him a mid-range WR1 with some risk.

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