Jefferson was designated for return from IR on Nov. 8 after he'd missed the required four games due to a right hamstring strain, but he ended up missing three more contests. According to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, head coach Kevin O'Connell indicated that the star wideout was close to playing Monday, but with a bye on tap in Week 13, the Vikings ultimately erred on the side of caution. Since Jefferson's evaluation window was set to close Tuesday, the Vikings added him back to the 53-man roster with the expectation that he will be ready to play Dec. 10 against the Raiders. Assuming Jefferson is cleared for that contest, he'll be catching passes from someone other than Kirk Cousins (Achilles) for only the second game of his four-year career. Joshua Dobbs has started the Vikings' last three games but threw four interceptions in Monday's loss to the Bears, and O'Connell noted that he's taking the bye week to re-evaluate the quarterback situation. If Dobbs is removed from the starting role, veteran Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall would be the candidates to step in as the new signal-caller.
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Status
QUESTIONABLE - Hamstring - Strain Expected Return: 2023-12-10Latest Justin Jefferson news
Receiving
| Year | Team | GP | REC | TGTS | YDS | AVG | TDS | LNG | YAC | YDS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | MIN | 5 | 36 | 53 | 571 | 16 | 3 | 52 | 182 | 114 |
| 2022 | MIN | 17 | 128 | 184 | 1,809 | 14 | 8 | 64 | 624 | 106 |
| 2021 | MIN | 17 | 108 | 167 | 1,616 | 15 | 10 | 56 | 482 | 95 |
| 2020 | MIN | 16 | 88 | 125 | 1,400 | 16 | 7 | 71 | 453 | 88 |
Rushing
Jefferson was designated for return from IR on Nov. 8 after he'd missed the required four games due to a right hamstring strain, but he ended up missing three more contests. According to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, head coach Kevin O'Connell indicated that the star wideout was close to playing Monday, but with a bye on tap in Week 13, the Vikings ultimately erred on the side of caution. Since Jefferson's evaluation window was set to close Tuesday, the Vikings added him back to the 53-man roster with the expectation that he will be ready to play Dec. 10 against the Raiders. Assuming Jefferson is cleared for that contest, he'll be catching passes from someone other than Kirk Cousins (Achilles) for only the second game of his four-year career. Joshua Dobbs has started the Vikings' last three games but threw four interceptions in Monday's loss to the Bears, and O'Connell noted that he's taking the bye week to re-evaluate the quarterback situation. If Dobbs is removed from the starting role, veteran Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall would be the candidates to step in as the new signal-caller.
Jefferson officially remains on injured reserve and will look to make his return Week 14 against the Raiders following Minnesota's Week 13 bye. The Vikings will likely lean on the trio of Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn and slot man Brandon Powell to serve as their main options at receiver versus Chicago.
The Vikings will continue to take a cautious approach to the star wide receiver's recovery, with a bye week coming up after Monday's contest. Jefferson will wind up missing his seventh consecutive game, though the expectation is that he will resume practicing fully after the bye and be 100 percent healthy for a Week 14 road game in Las Vegas. Assuming Jefferson isn't activated from IR ahead of Monday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline to do so, Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn and T.J. Hockenson will be in line to work as quarterback Josh Dobbs' top pass catchers this week.
Since being designated for return from IR on Nov. 8, Jefferson has been listed as a limited participant in the Vikings' ensuing nine practices. Jefferson's lack of progression in terms of practice activity doesn't seem to be the result of any unexpected setbacks, as the wideout said this week that he's been able to run full speed during portions of those workouts. Additionally, head coach Kevin O'Connell said Saturday that Jefferson "took part in some team reps." Even so, the Vikings look like they'll continue to take a cautious approach with Jefferson and hold him out for a seventh game in a row, with confirmation on his status expected to come by 4 p.m. ET on Monday, the deadline for Minnesota and Chicago to make transactions leading up to the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. The Vikings are on bye Week 13, but the team is expected to formally activate Jefferson from IR before his 21-day evaluation window closes this coming Wednesday, setting the stage for him to return to the lineup for the team's Week 14 matchup with the Raiders on Dec. 10.
No surprise here, as Jefferson has practiced in limited fashion all week. Both he and the Vikings have been cautious in their approach to his return, as they do not want to rush him back before his health is up to par. Either way, the Vikings have until Monday afternoon to decide whether to activate the star wideout (he was designated to return from injured reserve Nov. 8) ahead of the team's Week 12 contest.
Jefferson said his recovery is going well and noted that he's been clocked at top speeds during practice, but he also reiterated that he and the team are on the same page about taking a cautious approach. He's been listed as limited for every practice since the Vikings designated him Nov. 8 to return from injured reserve -- a move that opened a three-week window to activate Jefferson to the roster. The window closes a few days after Minnesota's Week 12 contest, so any transaction returning Jefferson to the roster in the upcoming days would suggest he's expected to play Monday night.
As he has been since the Vikings designated him for return from injured reserve on Nov. 8, Jefferson remains limited on the team's injury report. Coach Kevin O'Connell told Lewis on Wednesday that Jefferson "is getting closer. He is feeling really, really good. ... We're not going to allow outside circumstances of the team" determine the decision to activate the wide receiver from IR. Minnesota doesn't need to do so until Monday afternoon in order for him to be available against the Bears in Week 12. Having said that, with a Week 13 bye on tap, the Vikings have leeway to make sure Jefferson truly is past the strained right hamstring that he suffered back in Week 5.
Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Jefferson remained limited at Friday's practice, as he has been since the Vikings designated him for return from injured reserve last Wednesday. The team didn't activate him Week 10, and while he's a bit closer to game action than he was a week ago, coach Kevin O'Connell implied that Jefferson isn't likely to be available this weekend. Still, Minnesota will have until Saturday afternoon to get Jefferson back on the active roster ahead of Sunday's contest. If Jefferson misses his sixth consecutive game, the Vikings again will rely on Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell at wide receiver.
After the Vikings designated him for return from injured reserve last Wednesday, Jefferson practiced in a limited fashion all week before the team deemed him questionable on its final Week 10 injury report. Ultimately, he wasn't activated by Saturday's deadline in order to have a chance to play this past Sunday against the Saints. This time around, Jefferson is increasing his on-field work to begin Week 11 prep, but it's unclear if he'll progress enough for him to make himself available for Sunday's game in Denver. Wednesday's practice report will unveil his activity level.
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