Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson enjoyed another big game in Sunday's win over the Bears. He racked up a 12-154 receiving line on 13 targets. No other Viking drew more than 7 looks or caught more than 5 passes. WR Adam Thielen checked in 2nd with 7 targets but caught just 4 for 27 yards. K.J. Osborn caught all 5 of his targets (for 41 yards) to finish 2nd on the team in receptions.

Packers RBs combined for just 114 total yards in Sunday's loss to the Giants in London. Aaron Jones gained 63 yards on 13 carries and saw the backfield's only 3 targets. He caught 2 of those for 17 yards. AJ Dillon carried only 6 times, gaining 34 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones more than doubled Dillon's playing time in this game -- 46 snaps to 20 -- working well ahead on both run and pass plays.

Lions WR T.J. Hockenson (hip) isn’t listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He went no practice Wednesday, limited Thursday, full Friday – the same routine he followed last week before exploding for 179 yards and 2 TDs.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (hip) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He should be ready for his usual role vs. the Patriots this weekend.

Packers RB Aaron Jones ran for 110 yards on 16 carries in Sunday's OT win over the Patriots. He trailed AJ Dillon by 1 carry and led him by 2 targets but collected 31 more total yards. Dillon wound up with 73 yards on 17 rushes and one 11-yard catch among 2 targets. Week 5 brings a positive matchup with the Giants.

Panthers QB Sam Darnold (ankle) is eligible to come off the IR this week but is expected to still be sidelined for "a while," a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. This is worth reporting because QB Baker Mayfield has been so bad through 4 games that we're all wondering whether Darnold might actually be an upgrade. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be Mayfield for at least a few more games.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson delivered a huge receiving line in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks: 8 catches, 179 yards, 2 TDs. His 12 targets constituted 30% of Detroit's total pass attempts. The yardage checked in 48 higher than the previous top mark of his career. With WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark out, as well as RB D'Andre Swift, WR Josh Reynolds served as the #2 target. He drew 8 looks and caught 7 balls for 81 yards and a TD. No other Lion caught more than 3 passes in the game.

After a pair of down weeks, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson racked up 10 catches for 147 yards in Sunday's win over the Saints in London. He added a 3-yard rushing score as well. Jefferson's 13 targets stood 4 ahead of Adam Thielen and 9 ahead of #3 Irv Smith. Thielen caught 8 balls for 72 yards. Smith contributed 23 yards on 3 catches. Dalvin Cook was the only other Viking with more than 1 reception.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (foot) is not listed on the final Week 4 injury report. After sitting out on Wednesday, he was limited on Thursday and a full-go on Friday. So the foot shouldn’t be a real issue in Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. Hockenson should be in for an expanded role with RB D’Andre Swift and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown out.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (foot) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. We're tentatively expecting him to be fine for this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks, but we'll get another update tomorrow.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (foot) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any details on the injury. Check back tomorrow for another update on Hockenson's Week 4 status.

The Eagles and Lions used a steady dose of double teams to limit Vikings WR Justin Jefferson to a combined 9 catches and 62 scoreless yards over the past 2 weeks. HC Kevin O'Connell is determined to get Jefferson going again. "I have to do a better job of giving Justin different aspects of lining up in different spots, different personnel groupings, whatever I need to do to help him," O'Connell said. WRs Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn delivered TDs on more advantageous matchups in Week 3. The pendulum will swing back in Jefferson's direction soon. We're not worried about his rest-of-season fantasy outlook.

Packers RB Aaron Jones mustered only 12 carries for 36 yards in Week 3. Facing a stout Bucs defense, A.J. Dillon (12-32) struggled to get going, too. Jones, though, lost a fumble just shy of the goal line after taking a hard shot from DT Vita Vea. A score there would have been huge, as Jones finished with only 3 catches for 11 yards on 4 targets. (Dillon added just 2 grabs for 6 yards on 3 targets.) This ground game will look to rebound against New England in Week 4. The Pats have allowed only 3.8 YPC to opposing RBs through 3 games.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (hip) is active for today’s game vs. the Vikings. He was limited in practice all week and listed as questionable, but we never heard any concern about the hip. Hockenson seems safe to use in fantasy lineups.

Lions TE T.J. Hockenson (hip) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. We’ve heard nothing to suggest that he’s in danger of missing this one, but you’ll need to check back Sunday to make sure he’s active.

The Vikings have ruled S Harrison Smith (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Lions. LB Eric Kendricks (toe) is questionable. Kendricks didn't appear on the injury report until Friday, when the issue limited his participation. That's worrisome timing for his Week 3 status. We'll keep an eye on him through Sunday morning.

Vikings S Harrison Smith is in the concussion protocol, HC Kevin O'Connell confirmed Wednesday. We'll see whether he can make it back in time. Josh Metellus and rookie Lewis Cine would be the candidates for the spot should Smith miss further time. Metellus stepped in when Smith left Monday night's loss to the Eagles.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson drew 12 targets in Monday night's loss to the Eagles -- 4 more than his nearest teammate -- but caught just 6 of them for 48 yards. Jefferson had no gain of more than 11 yards, on a night where Eagles CB Darius Slay locked him up. WR Adam Thielen added 4-52 receiving on 7 targets, while WR K.J. Osborn drew just 2 looks.

Packers RB Aaron Jones dominated the Bears in Week 2, rushing 15 times for 132 yards and 1 score. He chipped in with 3 catches for 38 yards and another score. AJ Dillon out-carried Jones by 3, but note that Dillon handled 3 consecutive carries on Green Bay’s final, clock-killing drive…when the Packers led by 17. Per Next Gen Stats, Jones posted 4.91 rushing yards over expected per attempt — best among all Week 2 rushers. It was a much-needed bounce-back after his Week 1 dud. The upcoming schedule (at Bucs, vs. Patriots) isn’t ideal, but you can start Jones with confidence.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson torched the Packers for 184 yards and 2 TDs on 9 catches in HC Kevin O'Connell's debut. Jefferson was clearly the focal point of the offense, garnering a 34% target share and lining up all over the field. Per ESPN, Jefferson took 41 snaps on the outside, 12 in the slot, 1 in the backfield and 1 inline. He racked up 93 yards from the outside and 91 from the slot. He also went in motion on 7 snaps. "I definitely like the motioning and just seeing the whole field," Jefferson said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it a lot more." Jefferson will be battling for the WR lead in fantasy points all season.