The team needs to remain hungry!
One more day until the team gets the chance to stack another win! I try not to be too confident when the team plays but if the Jaguars do not have Trevor Lawrence, then it could be long day for them. Even if he does play, the Vikings should do what they have done all season and just be as efficient as possible, limit mistakes, and play hard.
NFL Pro: Top three fantasy mismatches in Week 10 of 2024 season
Justin Jefferson Minnesota Vikings · WR vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Jefferson’s strengths align perfectly with Jacksonville’s weaknesses. Jefferson is swinging for the fences as he has run a vertical route at a career-high level this season. Most importantly, Jefferson’s swings are connecting. The Vikings’ superstar WR has snagged a league-leading 400 yards on vertical routes this season, 107 of which came in Week 9 alone. Jefferson leads the league in receiving (783 yards) and in target share (33.0%), the latter of which is his highest career mark.
On the flip side, the Jaguars are blitzing at the lowest rate (15.8%) the NFL has seen since the Jets defense in 2022. This should allow Darnold to set his feet with time in a clean pocket and let it fly to Jefferson downfield. Against a reeling Jacksonville secondary – one that ranks No. 31 overall and dead last against deep passing, those shots will land and end with Jefferson hitting the Griddy. (Check out this All-22 playlist of Jefferson’s success on vertical routes this season.)
Unstoppable force, meet highly moveable object. So far this season, the Jaguars have allowed 20-plus fantasy points to four different wideouts, including 26 to Tyreek Hill and 33.1 to Nico Collins. Justin Jefferson has hit that mark five times this year — more than any other wide receiver in the league. Minnesota’s five-star matchup advantage with Jacksonville’s pass defense will run primarily through Jefferson and brings huge projections for his fantasy day.
NFL Offensive Pace & Efficiency: Week 10 (2024 Fantasy Football)
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t planning to shadow Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said it best.
When it comes to the success Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings have had this season, one name comes to mind.
“Justin Jefferson,” Pederson said while laughing before reeling off other factors that have played a part in their success. “… Justin Jefferson is obviously an elite receiver in this league that can wreak havoc on you.”
The league leader in receiving yards is coming to town Sunday. And with him, a bunch of problems will follow for defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s group.
“He’s at the top of the game receiver-wise,” Nielsen said Thursday. “So, we’ve got to stay on top of him.”
Jefferson has recorded 783 yards on 48 receptions this season with five receiving touchdowns. He’s recorded 6,682 yards in his career, repeatedly torching defenders and hitting his iconic griddy dance after he scores.
He’s 103 yards from breaking the record for having the most receiving yards in the first five seasons of a player’s career. But the Jaguars don’t anticipate playing him differently than their normal gameplan.
“We’re going to play like we’ve been playing,” Nielsen said of potentially shadowing Jefferson. “There’ll be sometimes where, critical situations and things like that, he’ll be on him. But we’re going to be who we are and continue to stay the course and continue with this defense.”
That gameplan doesn’t typically call for players shadowing receivers. But with cornerback Tyson Campbell, who was extended in the offseason, there’s a chance to do different things defensively against Jefferson.
“I think it’s two ways you can look at it,” Pederson said Wednesday. “You can take your best corner and put it on the best receiver, or you can put your best corner on their second receiver and put two guys on the best. That’s what teams do. That’s what defenses do.”
Vikings’ O’Connell happy to help benched Colts QB Richardson
Amid a tough moment of his career last weekend, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson got a surprise pep talk. It came from the opposing coach after the Colts’ 21-13 loss Sunday night to the Minnesota Vikings, a game Richardson watched from the sideline after losing his starting job to Joe Flacco.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell approached him and, according to an NFL Films video that circulated this week, said: “You’re a bad dude and you’re going to play a long time in this league.”
He added: “I still believe in you. I know these guys do, too.”
O’Connell evaluated Richardson extensively prior to the 2023 NFL draft, but the Colts selected him at No. 4 overall — long before the Vikings’ pick at No. 23. The Vikings waited until 2024 to draft their quarterback of the future, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Speaking Friday about the exchange, O’Connell said he assumed it had been a rough week for Richardson and that he wanted to let him know he still had strong support both inside and outside the Colts organization.
“I wanted to let him know how I felt,” O’Connell said. “And whether it meant something to him, or not, didn’t matter. And I think it’s a good thing for everybody in society to do. If you’ve got the ability to help somebody else in circumstances that maybe as they’re working through it are less than ideal, but there is a road and a path — a rather large one in my opinion to him having have a very, very successful NFL career — [you should].
“Quarterback journeys are what they are, and every single one of them has their own story. And I just felt like if I can have an opportunity to just let him know how I feel about him, and not only him and where he’s at now but where I think he’s going in the future, I thought it was a good moment to tell him that. I’m just a big fan, and if you have something to say to uplift somebody else, you might as well say it and not keep it to yourself.”
Jets’ Sauce Gardner Makes Stunning Admission on Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell
Gardner appeared on the Thursday, November 7 edition Richard Sherman’s podcast and had nothing but compliments for O’Connell, admitting that he’s perhaps the only play caller in the league capable of making the star DB question himself and how to do his job.
“I remember when we was playing against Minnesota, and I kept second guessing a little bit because they [offensive coordinator] is nice. He is probably one of the best OCs I’ve ever played against,” Gardner said, later clarifying that by ‘OC’ he meant O’Connell, who serves as both head coach and play caller. “That’s probably one of the only games this year where I was thinking like, ‘Oh, do I really wanna gamble against him?’ … I’m looking on the side and I just see his face, like, he played quarterback. And I’m thinking like, ‘He looking too lax. Like, what’s going on? What’s about to happen here?’ It was kinda crazy man.”
O’Connell has done a lot of things to impress the league, as well as strike fear into opponents all across it, stretching back to his days as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams.
This season, O’Connell has aided Sam Darnold in a career renaissance characterized by 1,900 yards passing, 17 TDs against 7 INTs and a career-high completion percentage pushing 70%. The Vikings head coach is likely to face another challenge next season if/when the team transitions to J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft who will miss his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury.
Vikings $17.5 million star predicted to leave Minnesota in favor of Chiefs dynasty
The Minnesota Vikings have few holes on that side of the football entering the second half of the regular season. But when the offseason arrives, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew will have to address a cornerback group that currently features three starters on expiring contracts.
The Vikings will certainly have the cap space to bring Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr. back this offseason, but the scouting department from Bleacher Report believes the team will have some competition if their guys hit the open market.
One potential flight risk the site mentioned was Murphy Jr., who has excelled in more of a slot corner role this season, bolting for the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Here was their take on the potential move:
“Trent McDuffie is easily the Chiefs’ No. 1 corner, but it gets murky after that. This team misses L’Jarius Sneed, and they haven’t had other young corners step into the void. If the Chiefs are going to spend real money in free agency, then a cornerback is one of the things they might want to spend it on.
“Byron Murphy should be at the top of their list. He’s proving he can excel in an aggressive scheme that asks him to play press coverage. That would make him a good fit for Steve Spagnuolo as they look to remain one of the best defenses in the league.”
Sam Darnold predicted to cut ties with Vikings, land huge contract with Giants or Titans in 2025
In the midst of a Pro Bowl season as the Vikings starting quarterback, Darnold is projected to be in high demand when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In fact, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently ranked Darnold No. 1 on his first 2025 Free Agency Big Board of the year.
While Darnold is thriving in Kevin O’Connell’s system, tied for fourth in the NFL in touchdown passes (17) and fifth in passer rating (107.8), the team is unlikely to compete for his services beyond 2024, with rookie J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings. For that reason, Knox predicts Darnold will land a rich, multi-year free agent contract with either the New York Giants or Tennessee Titans this offseason.
Knox believes teams with similar offenses as the Vikings, preferably from the Sean McVay coaching tree, would be ideal for Darnold. Here was his take on both the Giants and Titans:
“Tennessee would be a logical landing spot, as head coach Brian Callahan previously served under McVay protege Zac Taylor,” Knox wrote. “Darnold’s fit with Biran Daboll and the Giants wouldn’t be as clean, though I expect New York to exhaust all options if and when it pulls the plug on Daniel Jones.
“Darnold isn’t a slam-dunk QB option, but he has elite tools, has archetypal size (6’3”, 225 lbs), has shown incredible growth and will still only be 27 years old at the start of free agency. In an offseason that features few other free-agent signal-callers and a questionable quarterback draft class, Darnold is poised to be the biggest name on the market.”
Vikings’ QB Future in Question After Sam Darnold Development
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is playing himself into a seat at the table for a future contract in Minnesota.
Former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles, who is now an NFL agent, argued that Darnold, who has a 6-2 record entering Week 10, has asserted himself ahead of 2025 free agency.
“I think it’s definitely at the table for a conversation and there’s still a lot of factors that need to be played out,” Sirles said on the “Purple Insider” podcast, adding that J.J. McCarthy‘s health could play a factor in Darnold’s future in Minnesota.
Sirles added that it’s unlikely there would be long-term health concerns for McCarthy, coming off meniscus surgery in August, but if he is not fully prepared to take the starting reins, Darnold could have a case to stay.
“I’ve said it since the beginning: if Sam Darnold doesn’t take us to an NFC Championship or a Super Bowl, you have to let him walk,” Sirles said.
“What [coach Kevin O’Connell] and what [general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] has done is they’re starting to build their plan around a rookie-scale quarterback and the last thing you want to do is, based off of one year of Sam Darnold coming in and doing great things, is derail the five-year plan, derail the future of the plan that was put in place when you drafted J.J. McCarthy,” Sirles added.
Matthew Stafford’s Wife Opens Up About Vikings Trade Chatter
Stafford’s wife, Kelly, addressed the trade rumors involving her husband on her podcast, “The Morning After with Kelly Stafford and Hank,” admitting it added stress to the household and that the Rams’ win over the Vikings on October 31 could have played a factor in Matthew staying put in Los Angeles.
“Matthew to the Vikings: Now, there was no legs to this, which was very interesting, because I opened up Instagram one day and, ‘Oh, do I need to start looking for a home in Minnesota?’ What’s happening? And that’s one thing you don’t want to text your husband, ‘Hey, have you heard if you’re getting traded?’ And that didn’t happen cause I’m not going to text him that,” Kelly said, per the New York Post. “I also just think it is inappropriate in a way when he’s with a team for me to even bring it up unless he brings it up, cause he’s seeing it too, it’s not like he’s not seeing these rumors, correct.”
“I was thinking about it, in our world now, what would happen if that rumor was true? What would happen if we hadn’t won a game again and Minnesota offered something for Matthew that the Rams were like, ‘Yeah, this works,’” Kelly said. “… The what-if for me was like, OK, I’ve always told myself we will never separate our family cause it’s not fair to anyone. It’s not fair to him to not be able to see his girls, it’s not fair to the girls not to see their dad, I would lose my mind without him.”
She added that she even considering starting the house search for Matthew and their twin daughters.
“When the first rumor hit, I was like what’s happening? Obviously, I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, and to be honest, I think what, and this is what I said I would do, I would pick up, go, lease a spot for six months, put the kids in a public school there for the fall and then come back in the winter,” Kelly said.
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: Cardinals
Sent: Pick 28, Pick 100
Received: Pick 39, Pick 51
…
Trade Partner: Dolphins
Sent: Pick 39
Received: Pick 41, Pick 146
…
Trade Partner: Texans
Sent: Pick 41
Received: Pick 57, Pick 89
…
Trade Partner: Dolphins
Sent: Pick 89
Received: Pick 98, Pick 156
…
Trade Partner: Cowboys
Sent: Pick 156
Received: Pick 170, Pick 187
…
Trade Partner: Saints
Sent: Pick 187
Received: Pick 217, Pick 241
…
51. Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 6’5” 310
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images
57. Landon Jackson EDGE Arkansas 6’7” 280
Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
98. Danny Stutsman LB Oklahoma 6’4” 243
Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
139. Jonah Monheim OC USC 6’5” 310
Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
146. Luke Kandra OG Cincinnati 6’4” 323
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
163. Jo’Quavious Marks RB USC 5’10” 208
170. Ricky White WR UNLV 6’1” 190
Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
217. Mike Green EDGE Marhsall 6’4” 248
Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
241. Lathan Ransom S Ohio State 6’1” 210
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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