The Minnesota Vikings have ruled out wide receiver Jordan Addison for the team’s Week 2 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Addison is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in the team’s Week 1 game against the New York Giants, and won’t be able to suit up on Sunday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 14: Jordan Addison #3 and Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings look on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 14, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Addison was ruled out for Week 2.
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Addison, 22, is the Vikings’ No. 2 wide receiver behind Justin Jefferson. The 2023 first-round draft selection is coming off an impressive rookie year in which he reeled in 70 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ironically, his best game as a pro came against the 49ers in Week 7 of last season on Monday Night Football, when he had seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Addison, he won’t get to have an encore performance on Sunday, as he wasn’t able to bounce back from his ankle injury in time. In Week 1, Addison reeled in three catches for 35 yards on 28 snaps.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that wide receiver Trishton Jackson will be up for Sunday’s game.
“He had a great camp,” O’Connell said to reporters. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him to fill in any one of those three [receiver] spots.”
Jackson, 26, has two career catches for nine yards in his NFL career. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and has been with the Vikings organization since 2021.
Fantasy Football Impact of Jordan Addison’s Injury
With Addison out, there’s no great backup plan in terms of Vikings wideouts. Obviously, Justin Jefferson is a must-start, while running back Aaron Jones should be started, too. However, it’s hard to trust any other Vikings, especially against a tough 49ers defense. If you have Addison, it’s better to look for a player on a different team to start in your lineup.
As for the rest of the fantasy football impact for the Vikings, Jefferson should get even more targets as the lone known commodity in the Vikings’ wide receiver room. Jones should also get tons of touches out of the backfield as the Vikings look for the upset win without one of their best offensive weapons.
If Addison’s injury keeps him out multiple weeks, the one player fantasy managers could take a flier on is wide receiver Jalen Nailor. He’s not someone who should be started yet, but he could emerge as a fantasy-relevant receiver if Addison is forced to miss more time.
Nailor caught his one target last Sunday, which was a 21-yard touchdown reception.
