Justin Jefferson injury update: Vikings star's outlook uncertain after hamstring injury vs. Chiefs

Jacob Camenker

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Justin Jefferson injury update: Vikings star's outlook uncertain after hamstring injury vs. Chiefs image

The Vikings not only lost to the Chiefs in Week 5, but their top offensive player went down with an injury as well.

That would be Justin Jefferson. Minnesota's top wide-out suffered a hamstring injury while running a route in the second half of the team's 27-20 defeat.

Jefferson appeared to slip on the play and eventually limped off the field.

Jefferson did not return to action despite being labeled as "questionable" to return by the team. The Vikings efforted a comeback without the fourth-year receiver but weren't able to complete it.

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Now, the questions are about whether the team will be without its top pass catcher for Week 6 and beyond.

Justin Jefferson injury updates

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Jefferson's status during his postgame news conference. He said that it's "still very early" in the process and that the team is still assessing the extent of Jefferson's injury.

That will cast some doubt over Jefferson's potential availability for the Vikings' Week 6 matchup against the Bears.

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The Vikings probably won't rush Jefferson back into action. It's still early in the season, but the team is sitting at 1-4 and appears to be well outside of the playoff race. So, if Jefferson's hamstring problem lingers as soft-tissue injuries are wont to do, he may be forced to miss at least a bit of action because of the malady.

As long as Jefferson is sidelined, Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn will see a bulk of the receiver targets from quarterback Kirk Cousins. Brandon Powell was worked into the mix more against the Chiefs too, so he and N'Keal Harry may be in for increased roles as well, but Addison would likely take over as the true No. 1 receiver.

This section will be updated as more information becomes available.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.