Kirk Cousins' departure from Minnesota last offseason dropped Jefferson from his familiar perch as an early first-round fantasy pick, leaving him as more of a mid-round-1 guy amidst concerns about Vikings QBs Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. It ended up being good value, with an average of 18.7 PPR points representing Jefferson's lowest mark since his 2020 rookie season yet still enough to rank second among WRs in total points and fourth in points per game. There seems to be less concern about a new QB this time around, after Jefferson and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell coaxed 35 TD passes out of Darnold. We don't yet know if McCarthy, last year's 10th overall pick, will end up being an upgrade, a downgrade or about the same as Darnold, but it's safe to say the 22-year-old's statistics will look better than his actual performance. O'Connell not only likes to chuck the ball around but also is among the best at scheming it up, and the Vikings have talented ancillary pass catchers (WR Jordan Addison, TE T.J. Hockenson) to take some of the heat off Jefferson without truly threatening his volume. If Jefferson goes in the middle part of Round 1 rather than the early part this year, it's seemingly a matter of optimism regarding RBs Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs more so than fears about McCarthy. Early ADP feedback has Jefferson safely in the WR2 spot, behind only Ja'Marr Chase.
