Minnesota Vikings DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones is optimistic about having a standout season, crediting the team's training staff for potentially preparing him for the best year of his career. Jones noted that he feels the "I'm ready to have the best year of my career" heading into a new season, thanks in part to a 30-45 minute "prehab" routine given to him before practices. Despite his impressive durability in the previous four seasons, where he played 62 of 66 games, Jones missed six last season due to hamstring and knee injuries. Once he was healthy, he made a significant impact, surpassing 100 rushing yards in his final five games and helping the Packers nearly advance to the NFC Championship Game. During that stretch, Jones carried the ball 102 times for 584 yards, becoming a crucial part of the offense. While it's important not to overvalue Jones based on past performance alone, he remains a strong RB2 option in fantasy leagues if drafted at the right price. For added security, consider pairing him with his backup, Ty Chandler, in the later rounds of your draft.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (ankle) was back at practice on Monday but didn't do a whole lot outside of warmups in the 15 minutes that were open to reporters. Addison likely would have been limited on an official injury report, but with the Vikings' Week 1 regular-season opener not coming until this Sunday against the New York Giants, there first official practice for Week 1 won't be until Wednesday. Either way, the 22-year-old second-year pass-catcher's presence at practice on Monday for the first time since being carted off the field on Aug. 14 was a good sign. We'll have a better idea of Addison's status for this Sunday once the team releases their official injury report on Wednesday. Despite a strong rookie year in 2023, Addison is shaping up as a shaky WR4/flex for fantasy managers due to his injury and the fact that he has a downgrade in QB from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold.

The Athletic's Alec Lewis believes a Week 5 (Oct. 6) return for Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) is a fair projection when he was asked when we should expect to see Hockenson back on the field in 2024. It's when Hockenson will be eligible to return from the Physically Unable to Perform list. He'll be able to practice through the first four weeks of the season while on the PUP list, and he's already sprinting and running routes on side fields. If the Vikings really wanted to, they probably could have pushed Hockenson to be ready for the first couple weeks of the regular season. This news certainly should make fantasy managers more willing to snag the 27-year-old in upcoming drafts, granted your league has IR spots to stash him. Before tearing both his ACL and MCL late in December, Hockenson was having a career year. Still, with Kirk Cousins gone and coming off a serious knee injury, fantasy managers should have reservations about Hockenson when he does return to the field in 2024.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison caught just one pass for seven yards during the preseason. While it would have been nice to see a little more production out of the receiver after his up-and-down rookie campaign in 2023, we also know that Addison has a firm grasp on the No. 2 receiver role and doesn't face much competition there. The biggest question surrounding Addison is whether he can have a meaningful fantasy season with Sam Darnold throwing him the football. Not only did the Vikings suffer a quarterback downgrade this past offseason, but Addison will also lose plenty of volume to Justin Jefferson, who is fully healthy once again. Fantasy managers might want to be cautious and let Addison start the year on their bench before deciding whether he can be plugged into lineups

The Minnesota Vikings signed veteran quarterback Brett Rypien on Thursday and waived Jaren Hall in a corresponding move. It's a mild surprise after Hall seemingly cemented the job as the QB3 behind starter Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens with a strong preseason. The 28-year-old Rypien was released earlier this week by the Chicago Bears. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos, starting three games, before moving to the Los Angeles Rams last year. The Vikings were hit with tough news earlier in training camp with rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (knee) having to miss all of his rookie season. In his four years in the NFL, Rypien has completed 58.3% of his 168 pass attempts for just 950 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games (four starts).