We've spent most of the week detailing all the bad news swirling the fantasy football landscape as the playoffs begin -- who isn't practicing? Who isn't playing? What about the good news, though? Justin Jefferson has missed most of the season to this point, but it seems that he might finally be putting the injury woes behind him at the best possible time. As the fantasy playoffs get set to start in Week 15, one of fantasy's best is aiming for a potential return to game action on Saturday.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Jefferson until the official active/inactive report comes out on Saturday around 11:30 a.m. ET, so check back for the latest.
Is Justin Jefferson playing Saturday Week 15?
UPDATE: Jefferson is officially ACTIVE.
Jefferson (chest) is officially listed as "questionable" ahead of the Vikings' matchup against the Bengals at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. He opened the week with two limited practices before upgrading to a full participant on Thursday. That's obviously a good sign for Jefferson, considering he found himself in the hospital on Sunday for precautionary reasons after taking a big hit against the Raiders. Practice trends indicate that Jefferson will end up playing, and the man himself also said so, giving us plenty of reason to believe he will.
The quarterback carousel continues to turn in Minnesota after the team benched Joshua Dobbs on Sunday. HC Kevin O'Connell said that the team is instead turning to Nick Mullens as QB1, with rookie Jaren Hall taking over as the backup. Dobbs' performance has fallen off in recent weeks since an improbable victory over the Falcons in his debut game back on Nov. 5. The Vikings' offense has stalled ever since, requiring the change even after a 3-0 victory over the Raiders on Sunday. Last week was Jefferson's first game action without Kirk Cousins (Achilles) under center. It's safe to say that the WR probably would've hoped for a better outcome.
Despite being a backup, Mullens has plenty of starting experience thanks to his time in San Francisco. He owns a 5-12 record in 17 games started with a 27:23 TD-to-INT ratio. Mullens won't be mistaken for Cousins anytime soon, but it should help Jefferson's chances to turn in a solid performance on Saturday. Jefferson is a QB-friendly WR, meaning he should remain a focal point alongside T.J. Hockenson in the Minnesota passing attack. The Vikings have struggled to run the ball for most of the season, forcing them into a pass-first style of play. With the team locked in a tight playoff race, O'Connell's group is still trying to salvage the season. We expect them to continue to operate with that in mind.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
In the event of an unlikely inactive, fantasy owners will be left to proceed with the same backup plan they've had in place for most of the season. Regardless, if your team survived and made it to the playoffs without Jefferson, welcome him back to the lineup with open arms. Just try to ignore letting those thoughts of re-injury creep back into your mind.
