Minnesota Vikings DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) is expected to be cleared to participate in his team's spring activities after tearing his meniscus last summer. McCarthy missed his entire rookie year after having surgery to repair the meniscus injury but his availability early in the team's offseason is promising news. With McCarthy trending up, the Vikings are expected to officially move on from 2024 starter Sam Darnold, who is rumored to be high on the Seattle Seahawks' list after they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night. McCarthy is likely to open the 2025 season as the Vikings' starter, although the team would still like to add a veteran to the quarterback room, according to Tom Pelissero.

The San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi writes that San Francisco 49ers restricted free-agent running back Jordan Mason (ankle) has been drawing trade interest around the league after rushing for 1,253 yards on 5.3 yards per carry over his first three years in the league. The 49ers can tender the 25-year-old an offer that includes a right of first refusal ahead of the new league year next Wednesday. It would make sense for the Niners to place a second-round tender ($5.3 million) on Mason with the value of RBs potentially on the rise. Lombardi points out that the team has twice traded away a RB for a fifth-round pick, so Mason could be dangled with Christian McCaffrey (knee) coming back in 2025 and with Isaac Guerendo also on the roster. Mason had 789 rushing yards and three TDs on 153 carries in 2024 but missed the final five games with an ankle injury. His path back to fantasy relevance makes more sense outside of San Fran.

The Minnesota Vikings want to re-sign impending free-agent running back Aaron Jones, but The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that even if they do, they are looking for more of a by-committee backfield approach. Lewis expects the Vikings to take a running back in the upcoming NFL draft in April. After signing a one-year, $7 million deal with Minnesota last offseason, the 30-year-old former Packers RB posted his fourth 1,000-yard rushing campaign and added five rushing touchdowns on a career-high 255 rushing attempts in 17 regular-season starts. He also added 51 catches for 408 yards and another two touchdowns. But Jones is now 30 years old, and the Vikings surely want to lessen his load as he ages if they bring him back in 2025. If Jones returns to the Vikings next season, he could end up being more of a shaky RB2 target in fantasy.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) has his sights set on being ready for the start of the team's offseason program in April. The head coach said that McCarthy's rehab from season-ending knee surgery in 2024 continues to go well. The 22-year-old first-rounder (10th overall) tore the meniscus in his right knee in the preseason and had to miss all of his first year in the NFL. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold had a career year for the Vikings. Darnold will be an unrestricted free agent in March, but it will be telling whether the Vikings let him walk, place the franchise tag on him or sign him to a multi-year extension. Minnesota still believes in McCarthy as their QB of the future, but depending on how they deal with the Darnold situation, he could be in for another "redshirt" year in 2025.

Minnesota Vikings fullback C.J. Ham (ankle) had a "simple procedure" done on his ankle on Wednesday. Ham was on the team's injury report with an ankle injury toward the end of the 2024 season, but he didn't miss any games. The 31-year-old veteran fullback shouldn't face a lengthy recovery timeline after having a minor surgery on his ankle and should be able to take part in most of the team's offseason workouts. He will not be anywhere near the fantasy radar once again going into the 2025 campaign after seeing only two carries for 10 yards and one touchdown and adding five receptions on six targets for 35 yards through the air in 17 regular-season games in his eighth year with the Vikings in 2024. In his eight NFL seasons, Ham has only 39 rushing attempts for 114 yards and four TDs and has caught 82 passes for 670 yards and two TDs in 130 games played.