The NFL season is upon us, which means that, unfortunately, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 1 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Justin Jefferson has missed considerable training camp practice time all August. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Justin Jefferson Playing Week 1?
Jefferson suffered a mild hamstring strain during the Vikings’ second training camp practice on July 24. After feeling “tightness” in his left hamstring, Jefferson removed himself from practice as a precautionary measure. An MRI revealed what head coach Kevin O’Connell described as a “very mild” strain, initially expected to sideline Jefferson for just one week.
The Vikings took an extremely cautious approach with their franchise player. Jefferson remained out of practice for nearly a month, missing all three preseason games as the team prioritized his long-term health over immediate participation. This conservative timeline was influenced by Jefferson’s history with hamstring issues, as a right hamstring strain cost him seven games during the 2023 season.
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The positive news arrived on Aug. 17, when Jefferson returned to Vikings practice. Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that his star receiver would begin participating in “bits and pieces” of practice activities, marking the start of his ramp-up process. Jefferson worked on individual drills only during his first day back, with no teamwork initially.
But this is an injury that Jefferson will have to manage throughout the entire season. That will manifest itself more in terms of Wednesdays off from practice and limited sessions, and is not expected to impact his play.
#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s hamstring isn’t expected to affect his play, but could require “long-term maintenance” in practice, @BenGoessling stated via @KFAN1003. Should he be limited in practice for his hamstring, it would likely be out of precaution. pic.twitter.com/hwSDqN1jcI
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 2, 2025
With that said, barring a setback at practice this week, Jefferson is at absolutely no risk of missing Week 1.
Jefferson’s Fantasy Football Outlook
Aaron Rodgers considers himself a father figure to the Chicago organization. Still, with him no longer in the NFC North, you could certainly argue that his claim of ownership stands to be transferred to Justin Jefferson sooner rather than later.
Minnesota’s WR1 has cleared five targets in six games thus far in his career against the Bears, and the results have been … #good.
- 44 catches
- 620 yards
- 3 touchdowns
- 21.2 FPPG (14.6% over expectations)
We could argue about the hierarchy of the receiver position, but does it matter? You’re playing Jefferson every week in which he is active in any season-long format, and there’s no DFS decision to be made with this being the final game of the week on Monday night.
There’s a broader range of outcomes than we are accustomed to with Jefferson by way of a new quarterback, but that doesn’t mean that there is a discussion to be had regarding his standing as a WR1 in all fantasy formats.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
