Vikings Dynasty Fantasy Football Overview: Justin Jefferson Stars, but Others are Intriguing

Let's continue our dynasty fantasy football overview of NFL teams by looking over the Minnesota Vikings.

We have already looked at the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Bills and Ravens. I plan to cover every NFL team, so keep checking back for more!

For the latest player updates, be sure to head to FantasySP to utilize the real-time player news engine for all sports. The player news engine is the most robust and fastest player news system in fantasy sports. Signing up for a FantasySP membership can help you track all your fantasy players.

Quarterbacks

J.J. McCarthy is the team's new starting quarterback after the departure of Sam Darnold. McCarthy didn't play in his rookie season because of a knee injury he suffered in a preseason game.

McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Vikings are hoping he becomes the next franchise quarterback. Most quarterbacks have thrived under coach Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota, so most are optimistic that McCarthy can too.

He's got plenty of offensive weapons around him to succeed right away, but I personally believe it will take him a couple years to turn into a big-time fantasy threat. For that reason, McCarthy isn't a top-10 dynasty quarterback in my eyes, but he could get there eventually.

Should McCarthy get hurt again or struggle this season, Sam Howell is the top backup. He still has some dynasty value being a 25-year-old, but unless he gets the starting role, he doesn't have much value. Maybe O'Connell can get his career jumpstarted and then he's eventually given a chance at a starting role again.

Brett Rypien is another backup option, while Max Brosmer is on the roster for now as the fourth quarterback. Rypien is 29, so he doesn't have dynasty value. Brosmer is 24 years old and was an undrafted free agent - he doesn't have dynasty value at this point either.

Running Backs

Aaron Jones is the team's lead running back, while Jordan Mason was brought in and is likely the top backup. Ty Chandler is another decent backup option.

Jones isn't a top-10 dynasty back for me, and most of that has to do with him being 30 years old. Jones still has fantasy value, and is worth rostering if your dynasty team is a contending one.

Jones had 1,546 total yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games last season. He should be heavily involved again with a first-year starting QB in place, and I think Jones will be a pleasant fantasy surprise this season if he stays healthy.

His dynasty value is dwindling though, so if you aren't contending, it's time to trade Jones to the highest bidder. 

Mason flashed some upside after taking over for the injured Christian McCaffrey in San Fran last season. He had 880 total yards and three scores over 12 games and six starts.

Mason now gets a fresh start in Minnesota and still has dynasty value as just a 26-year-old. He's worth rostering in some deeper dynasty leagues, but would likely only get rostered in shallower dynasty leagues if Jones went down with an injury. Mason could maybe take over as the lead back in a year, and that's enough to keep rostering him in some leagues.

Chandler had a decent 2023 season, but was limited to 224 total yards and no touchdowns across 17 games last season. He's also 27 years old, so his dynasty value is dwindling quickly.

With Mason around, I think it's safe to move on from Chandler in most dynasty setups. Only keep him around in the deepest of leagues, and maybe if you only have Jones or Mason on your roster too.

Wide Receivers

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are two great dynasty wide receivers. Jalen Nailor is the other projected starter, while Tai Felton is a rookie option and Tim Jones and Rondale Moore are some veteran depth options.

Jefferson is my No. 2 dynasty wide receiver going into the 2025 season. He's been fantastic across his five NFL seasons, and should have several big seasons in the tank still, as he's just 26 years old.

Jefferson has tallied at least 1,000 total yards in all five of his seasons, and that includes 2023, when he played just 10 games. He has 7,463 total yards and 41 scores for his NFL career.

The only thing that worries me is an unproven QB throwing to him. Jefferson has delivered elite numbers with every QB he's played with though, so it's not a big-time worry. You might be able to acquire Jefferson for a bit cheaper with that worry in mind, so it's fair to at least see what his asking price is for a possible trade.

Addison is just 23 years old and already has scored 20 touchdowns in the NFL. He's played in 32 games, totaling 1,808 total yards, but finishing under 1,000 yards in both years.

Playing second fiddle to Jefferson is going to limit the ceiling of Addison, but it should also open some things up for him. He should be easier to trade for because he's the team's second option at receiver, and I think he's got bigger seasons in him yet.

Even being the second option on his team, Addison is a highly-regarded dynasty asset. Acquire him now if you are interested in him, because his value is likely to only keep increasing as his NFL career grows.

Nailor had a nice season in 2024, going for 410 yards and six touchdowns across 17 games. He had 208 yards and a score over his first 21 NFL games before that.

Nailor is not a huge dynasty asset as a 26-year-old, especially one who is the fourth pass-catching option on his own team. There's enough value there though to roster him in some deeper dynasty leagues in case Jefferson or Addison ever went down with injuries, or if Nailor is able to build on last season.

Felton was a third-round pick, so he has some legit dynasty value already. He's likely going to be an outside receiver with his body type, but if he plays well enough in the preseason or in practice, Minnesota could move Jefferson and Addison around to get Felton on the field more.

Felton is going pretty overlooked because of the top-two pass catchers in Minnesota, but I think he could develop into a good fantasy option in time. I'd be for stashing Felton in most dynasty leagues.

Jones is 27 years old, and he's barely done anything over his first three NFL seasons, so he's not a big dynasty asset. It'd take multiple injuries for him to see the field even somewhat often.

Moore is an intriguing fantasy asset to me. He didn't play in 2024 because of an injury, but is still only 25 years old. Moore flashed some potential across his first three seasons with Atlanta, and could maybe become a bigger option in Minnesota.

Moore could supplant Nailor from the slot receiver role in time, so I'm basically saying Moore is a sleeper dynasty asset. He's worth rostering in deeper dynasty leagues, and could become a real asset if he can stick on the field.

Tight Ends

T.J. Hockenson is the team's lead tight end. Josh Oliver is the top backup, while rookie Gavin Bartholomew is worth mentioning as well.

Hockenson got in 10 games last season and had 455 yards, but no touchdowns. He was great for Minnesota in 2023, so fantasy owners are hoping he can get back closer to that level of play.

Hock is my No. 7 dynasty tight end right now. He's still just 28 years old, so he's still got a few more good seasons in him still I think.

I think Hockenson could really shine this coming season as McCarthy gets acclimated to the NFL. He'll be a good checkdown option, so he could thrive even with Jefferson and Addison getting a lot of the targets. 

Hockenson isn't likely to move up my dynasty list because of his age. That means he's getting close to being someone to only roster on contending dynasty teams. Maybe wait until he posts some good numbers before trading him away, because his dynasty value is a bit down after last season.

Oliver has seven touchdowns across the past three seasons, but he has just 620 yards in that timeframe. He didn't take advantage of the opportunity when Hockenson was out, and it'd take another injury, or a change of scenery, to get him into fantasy relevance.

Bartholomew was a sixth-round pick this offseason, so in time, he could become the next go-to tight end for Minnesota. He's off to a rough start, as he's on the physically unable to perform list, but he's just 22 years old, so there's plenty of time for him to get rolling.

He wasn't a big-time player in college, but I'm at least going to keep tabs on him early in his NFL career.