WR · MIN · GWTTKB

Justin Jefferson — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 11.85 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 13, usage worth 14.2.

27 years old · 6 seasons of experience · 2020 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 13
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 1.8, 3.8 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on cbs, priciest on underdog.
SLEEPER11.9
ESPN12.2
YAHOO12.3
UNDERDOG10.9
CBS15.7
FFA9

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 2, pick 1 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankWR6
Bye week6
ADP standard deviation1.8 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 275.9 points, 16.8 per game — 92.8 catches, 1,312 yards, 8.3 TDs. That is WR1, 9 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 13.9 points per game to a ceiling of 23.4, with the median at 16.8. Boom rate 39%, bust rate 17%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 13 on consensus and our board has him 9. We rank him 4 picks better than the room drafts him, so the market is underpricing him — that is the disagreement worth acting on.

Our written view

League's biggest TD underperformer (2 TD on ~9.4 expected). Elite talent at a discount near pick 12 — pair with an RB at the 1/2 turn. Risk is the Murray/McCarthy QB situation; downgrade if unsettled into August.

buy · high conviction · 2026-06-05

The offense he plays in, 2026

Minnesota Vikings returns 5 of 6 continuity slots, replacing qb1. Kyler Murray at quarterback, Kevin O'Connell as head coach, Wes Phillips calling it. The offense projects to 32.6 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 25 rushes.

In: Kyler Murray (qb), Dontae Fleming (wr5), Dillon Bell (wr7), Desmond Claiborne (rb3). Out: Carson Wentz (qb), Jalen Nailor (wr3), Adam Thielen (wr4).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 26.5%, with a bear case of 25.6% and a bull case of 29% and a full range of 24.7% to 29.7%. That comes from 29 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Justin Jefferson 26.5%
Jordan Addison18.3%
TJ Hockenson16.6%
Aaron Jones9.8%
Tai Felton7.7%
Jordan Mason5.6%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: Jefferson and Addison have all the talent in the world they & KOC is an elite coach, but this team needs to feed them. This RB room struggled last year. Difficult to say if Aaron Jones & Jordan mason regressed or if teams just focused on stopping the run to force JJ McCarthy to throw them another Pick 6. Either way, running game has to get established in 2026. Likely a committee as Aaron Jones was expected to be cut but took a pay cut to come back.

Key additions: Kyler Murray QB from Cardinals (former 1st overall pick).

Key departures: Jalen Nailor WR3 left to Raiders in free agency. Pretty solid loss that opens up a decent target

Notes: Jefferson dynasty cornerstone regardless of QB. Vikings sign Kyler Murray from Cardinals who is looking to turn around career. Kyler will compete with McCarthy for QB1 spot but JJ Nine McCarthy is BOOTY CHEEKS, so Kyler will start & could elevate offense a lot. Jefferson long term value there regardless of QB, Addison is great WR but volume still isnt there, interesting buy if can get him for cheap. Aaron Jones may phase out and took a pay cut to stay. Mason is mid. Rookie RB Claiborne COULD build out a role if he can beat out Mason. Hockenson should be better than last year but his play has declined a lot.

How the volume number was reached: New QB Kyler Murray, avg 32 att/g over 2025,2024; Regressed 42% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 32.6 att/g.

How that share projection was built

29 historical comps for WRs age ~27, prior share 29.9%, same team, OC continuity, QB change. Distribution: median 24.6%, p25-p75 [20.8%, 29.2%], tails [18.6%, 30.8%]. Closest comps: Odell Beckham 2020→2021 (CLE: 28.2%→18.2%); D.J. Moore 2023→2024 (CHI: 29.1%→27.1%); D.J. Moore 2021→2022 (CAR: 27.1%→28.8%). Adjustment: -6% from role_decline (real opportunity collapse)

self-anchored 58% to own 29.9% role (3yr), 42% to comp median 24.6%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: MIN rates 22.2 against a league average of 23, 0.8 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season+2.7 · easier
Weeks 1–6+3.1 · easier
Weeks 12–17+3.6 · easier
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+12.3 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

Read the full Justin Jefferson study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved -18.3% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 2.1 elite seasons and 2.6 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Keenan Allen202412.365%-7%
A.J. Brown202416.764%-10.3%
Davante Adams202417.263%+34.1%
Jakobi Meyers202414.561%+27.2%
Terry McLaurin202415.859%-16.4%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 2 gained value, 3 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000202120222023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2020-04 to 2026-07. Up 59% across the series, peaking at 9,999.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2026, round 5, pick 149 by CLE
CollegeAlabama
Age at draft23
Height6′1″
Weight202 lb
40-yard dash4.43s
Vertical37.5″
Broad jump126″

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game18
Week-to-week variation0.5
Boom rate17.1%
Bust rate21.1%
Games missed per season0
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.34

The record, season by season

2025 · MIN · 17 games

His best game was Week 4 against PIT — 22.6 PPR on 11 targets and a 26.2% target share, in a game that finished 21-24. His worst was Week 13 against SEA at 2.4, on 6 targets, final score 0-26. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 5 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 13.8; in the 8 decided by more, 9.7. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 14.2 points per game. He scored 11.85, 16.3% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 2 against 5.18 expected, a gap of -3.2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1CHI27-2414.84744135%98%
2ATL6-2211.13681028.6%100%
3CIN48-1012.55775029.2%80%
4PIT21-2422.61011126026.2%100%
5CLE21-1719.3711123032.4%100%
7PHI22-2812.951079025%99%
8LAC10-3714.471174036.7%88%
9DET27-2416.76947139.1%95%
10BAL19-277.741237029.3%100%
11CHI17-1911.15961028.1%100%
12GB6-238.84648033.3%100%
13SEA0-262.4264020.7%96%
14WAS31-03.12411017.4%80%
15DAL34-264.22822033.3%96%
16NYG16-1314.56885034.8%95%
17DET23-1074530035.7%98%
18GB16-318.4811101036.7%76%

Production

Receptions84
Targets141
Receiving yards1,048
Carries2
Rushing yards7
Touchdowns2
Points per game11.85
Yards per target7.43
Catch rate59.57%
Yards per carry3.5

Role

Snap share94.18%
Target share30.68%
Air-yards share40.15%
WOPR0.741
RACR0.815

Efficiency

Average depth of target10.2
Yards after catch per reception5.4
Yards before catch per reception7.1
Total YAC451
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted57.9
Receiving EPA per game-0.81

Scoring position

Red-zone targets18
Red-zone target share24.7%
End-zone target share40.6%
Expected receiving TDs5.18
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck-3.18

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game27 of 44
Yards per target32 of 44
Target share4 of 44
Air-yards share7 of 44

Who else ate

The offense threw it 484 times. He took 30.26% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Justin Jefferson 30.26%
Jordan Addison16.95%
T.J. Hockenson14.16%
Jalen Nailor11.37%
Aaron Jones8.8%
Josh Oliver4.08%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
J.J. McCarthy108011.046.7131.56%
Carson Wentz55016.349.5429.9%
Max Brosmer2114.73.0928.2%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 17 games were blowouts, 20.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 8.24 in those and 13.76 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2024 · MIN · 17 games

His best game was Week 16 against SEA — 36.4 PPR on 13 targets and a 37.1% target share, in a game that finished 27-24. His worst was Week 12 against CHI at 4.7, on 5 targets, final score 30-27. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 8 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 18.7; in the 7 decided by more, 18.6. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 16 points per game. He scored 18.68, 14.3% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1NYG28-615.94659126.1%84%
2SF23-1723.347133129.2%70%
3HOU34-720.16881132%90%
4GB31-2920.56885129.6%90%
5NYJ23-1715.261492050%95%
7DET29-3121.47881130.8%97%
8LA20-3019.589115039.1%100%
9IND21-1321.5879137027.3%99%
10JAX12-79.85948024.3%93%
11TEN23-1314.16881026.7%99%
12CHI30-274.72527015.6%99%
13ARI23-2216.97999030%96%
14ATL42-2132.277132225%95%
15CHI30-1220.371473137.8%88%
16SEA27-2436.41013144237.1%97%
17GB27-2517.281192026.8%94%
18DET9-318.43954023.7%98%

Production

Receptions103
Targets154
Receiving yards1,533
Carries1
Rushing yards3
Touchdowns10
Points per game18.68
Yards per target9.95
Catch rate66.88%
Yards per carry3

Role

Snap share93.18%
Target share30.06%
Air-yards share37.1%
WOPR0.711
RACR0.987

Efficiency

Average depth of target10.9
Yards after catch per reception4.7
Yards before catch per reception10.2
Total YAC487
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted107.4
Receiving EPA per game3.78
Rushing EPA per game-0.01

Scoring position

Red-zone targets26
Red-zone target share28%
End-zone target share44.4%
Expected receiving TDs6.61
Actual receiving TDs6
Receiving TD luck-0.61

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game3 of 51
Yards per target5 of 51
Target share4 of 51
Air-yards share11 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 548 times. He took 30.14% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Justin Jefferson 30.14%
Jordan Addison19.37%
Aaron Jones12.13%
T.J. Hockenson12.13%
Jalen Nailor8.22%
Josh Oliver5.48%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 17 games were blowouts, 30.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 19.38 in those and 18.7 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · MIN · 10 games

His best game was Week 18 against DET — 36 PPR on 14 targets and a 32.6% target share, in a game that finished 20-30. His worst was Week 14 against LV at 4.7, on 3 targets, final score 3-0. Across 10 games he cleared 20 points 6 times and came in under 8 points 2 times.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 17.2 points per game. He scored 20.22, 18.9% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 1 against 3.05 expected, a gap of -2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1TB17-2024912150027.3%98%
2PHI28-3424.91113159030.2%100%
3LAC24-2827.9713149127.1%95%
4CAR21-1326.56985250%98%
5KC20-275.83628013%71%
14LV3-04.7232709.1%18%
15CIN24-2715.471084031.3%96%
16DET24-3026.1610141128.6%98%
17GB10-3310.951059032.3%100%
18DET20-30361214192132.6%93%

Production

Receptions68
Targets100
Receiving yards1,074
Carries1
Rushing yards-12
Touchdowns5
Points per game20.22
Yards per target10.74
Catch rate68%
Yards per carry-12

Role

Snap share86.7%
Target share28.15%
Air-yards share39.51%
WOPR0.698
RACR0.845

Efficiency

Average depth of target12.6
Yards after catch per reception3.8
Yards before catch per reception12
Total YAC260
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted107.7
Receiving EPA per game4.28
Rushing EPA per game-0.2

Scoring position

Red-zone targets11
Red-zone target share12.8%
End-zone target share18.9%
Red-zone carry share1.9%
Expected receiving TDs3.05
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck-2.05
Expected rushing TDs0.12

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game5 of 51
Yards per target4 of 51
Target share13 of 51
Air-yards share8 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 631 times. He took 16.75% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

T.J. Hockenson21.27%
Jordan Addison18.09%
Justin Jefferson 16.75%
K.J. Osborn12.56%
Brandon Powell7.37%
Alexander Mattison7.37%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kirk Cousins55321.8210.7729.52%
Nick Mullens44422.110.8231.2%
Joshua Dobbs134.799.1%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 10 games were blowouts, 5.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.9 in those and 19.41 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · MIN · 17 games

His best game was Week 1 against GB — 39.4 PPR on 11 targets and a 35.5% target share, in a game that finished 23-7. His worst was Week 17 against GB at 2.5, on 5 targets, final score 17-41. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 9 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 11 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 24.4; in the 6 decided by more, 16.7. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 18.3 points per game. He scored 21.69, 15.3% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 6 against 8.27 expected, a gap of -2.3.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1GB23-739.4911184235.5%92%
2PHI7-2410.861248026.7%98%
3DET28-244.43614016.2%100%
4NO28-25311013147137.1%94%
5CHI29-2230.321213154033.3%100%
6MIA24-1616.768107028.6%94%
8ARI34-2615.86898025.8%99%
9WAS20-1725.5713115133.3%100%
10BUF33-3035.31016193132%100%
11DAL3-406.33533017.9%79%
12NE33-2629.34911139129.7%97%
13NYJ27-2218.671145133.3%96%
14DET23-3433.31115223037.5%94%
15IND39-3630.31216123129.6%92%
16NYG27-2431.31216133134%100%
17GB17-412.51515014.3%79%
18CHI29-137.84538015.6%51%

Production

Receptions128
Targets184
Receiving yards1,809
Carries4
Rushing yards24
Touchdowns9
Points per game21.69
Yards per target9.83
Catch rate69.57%
Yards per carry6

Role

Snap share92.06%
Target share28.26%
Air-yards share37.88%
WOPR0.689
RACR1.008

Efficiency

Average depth of target10.1
Yards after catch per reception4.9
Yards before catch per reception9.3
Total YAC624
Broken tackles6
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted104.2
Receiving EPA per game4.43
Rushing EPA per game0.13

Scoring position

Red-zone targets32
Red-zone target share28.3%
End-zone target share35.1%
Red-zone carry share1.4%
Goal-line carry share3.4%
Expected receiving TDs8.27
Actual receiving TDs6
Receiving TD luck-2.27
Expected rushing TDs0.43

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game2 of 51
Yards per target5 of 51
Target share10 of 51
Air-yards share9 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 670 times. He took 29.25% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Justin Jefferson 29.25%
Adam Thielen17.01%
K.J. Osborn14.31%
T.J. Hockenson13.67%
Dalvin Cook8.9%
Irv Smith5.72%

Blowouts against close games

3 of his 17 games were blowouts, 5.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.53 in those and 24.41 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2021 · MIN · 17 games

His best game was Week 11 against GB — 37.2 PPR on 10 targets and a 29.4% target share, in a game that finished 34-31. His worst was Week 8 against DAL at 4.1, on 4 targets, final score 16-20. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 7 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 14 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 19.3; in the 3 decided by more, 20.2. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 17 points per game. He scored 19.44, 14.2% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 7 against 5.55 expected, a gap of 1.5.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN24-2712.545971019.1%92%
2ARI33-3418.561065131.3%87%
3SEA30-1726.8911118128.9%83%
4CLE7-1420.46784119.4%88%
5DET19-1719.478124025.8%90%
6CAR34-281481480031.1%94%
8DAL16-204.12421012.1%71%
9BAL31-34173569117.9%80%
10LAC27-2022.9911143031.4%76%
11GB34-3137.2810169229.4%90%
12SF26-3413.264983028.1%93%
13DET27-2935.61114182134.1%91%
14PIT36-2820.571579148.4%96%
15CHI17-914.741047145.5%92%
16LA23-3019.6812116034.3%97%
17GB10-3711.861158029.7%100%
18CHI31-1722.157107133.3%96%

Production

Receptions108
Targets167
Receiving yards1,616
Carries6
Rushing yards14
Touchdowns10
Points per game19.44
Yards per target9.68
Catch rate64.67%
Yards per carry2.33

Role

Snap share89.18%
Target share29.4%
Air-yards share42.97%
WOPR0.742
RACR0.799

Efficiency

Average depth of target12.4
Yards after catch per reception4.5
Yards before catch per reception10.5
Total YAC482
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted111.3
Receiving EPA per game4.57
Rushing EPA per game-0.13

Scoring position

Red-zone targets22
Red-zone target share28.2%
End-zone target share38.9%
Red-zone carry share2.3%
Expected receiving TDs5.55
Actual receiving TDs7
Receiving TD luck1.45
Expected rushing TDs0.1

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game4 of 48
Yards per target7 of 48
Target share3 of 48
Air-yards share1 of 48

Who else ate

The offense threw it 604 times. He took 29.87% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Justin Jefferson 29.87%
Adam Thielen16.99%
Tyler Conklin15.56%
K.J. Osborn14.67%
Dalvin Cook8.77%
Alexander Mattison6.98%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kirk Cousins1615619.919.9929.38%
Sean Mannion11111.85.2729.7%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 17 games were blowouts, 3.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 11.8 in those and 19.26 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2020 · MIN · 16 games

His best game was Week 6 against ATL — 39.6 PPR on 11 targets and a 31.4% target share, in a game that finished 23-40. His worst was Week 1 against GB at 4.6, on 3 targets, final score 34-43. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 6 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 18.9; in the 6 decided by more, 14.2. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 14.1 points per game. He scored 17.14, 21.7% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1GB34-434.62326012%69%
2IND11-287.43344013%54%
3TEN30-3130.579175136%78%
4HOU31-2314.345103023.8%77%
5SEA26-275.33523013.2%80%
6ATL23-4039.6911166231.4%89%
8GB28-225.63426028.6%65%
9DET34-209.43464020%60%
10CHI19-1321.5810135031.3%82%
11DAL28-3117.63586117.9%91%
12CAR28-272671370230.2%99%
13JAX27-2427.3912121130%90%
14TB14-269.94839022.9%86%
15CHI27-3318.4811104036.7%97%
16NO33-5214.561085026.3%91%
17DET37-3522.3912133031.6%80%

Production

Receptions88
Targets125
Receiving yards1,400
Carries1
Rushing yards2
Touchdowns7
Points per game17.14
Yards per target11.2
Catch rate70.4%
Yards per carry2

Role

Snap share80.5%
Target share25.31%
Air-yards share36.99%
WOPR0.638
RACR1.086

Efficiency

Average depth of target11.4
Yards after catch per reception5.1
Yards before catch per reception10.8
Total YAC453
Broken tackles9
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted112.7
Receiving EPA per game4.14
Rushing EPA per game-0.04

Scoring position

Red-zone targets12
Red-zone target share19.4%
End-zone target share15.2%
Expected receiving TDs3.43
Actual receiving TDs4
Receiving TD luck0.57

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game8 of 51
Yards per target1 of 51
Target share12 of 51
Air-yards share8 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 516 times. He took 26.48% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Justin Jefferson 26.48%
Adam Thielen22.88%
Dalvin Cook11.44%
Irv Smith9.11%
Kyle Rudolph7.84%
Chad Beebe6.36%

Blowouts against close games

3 of his 16 games were blowouts, 22.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 20.5 in those and 18.88 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

Ask the Coach about Justin Jefferson →
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