Welcome Back, Justin Jefferson, Your Fantasy Owners Missed You
Carson Wentz might be the best thing to happen to Jefferson this year.
Despite a ferocious fourth quarter comeback attempt, the Minnesota Vikings came up just short in their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland.
Despite the loss, however, fantasy football owners will be happy to know that Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson may have gotten his groove back.
Though he failed to secure a touchdown catch for the third consecutive game this year, Jefferson finished with 10 receptions for 126 yards, both of which were season highs and nearly doubled his production through four weeks.
Questions were being asked about Jefferson's WR1 status heading into the season, with the quarterback position being in flux in Minneapolis.
With starting QB J.J. McCarthy sidelined with an injury after a less-than-stellar start to the year, the Vikings turned to veteran journeyman and former first round pick Carson Wentz.
This decision has appeared to be a fruitful one for both Jefferson and the fantasy owners who decided to take a chance on him as a first round fantasy draft pick, at least in the short term.
It wasn't a perfect game from Jefferson, however, as he slipped on a walk-in touchdown that would have brought his point total to even more dizzying heights.
Regardless of the slip, however, the former LSU standout still put up a season-high 22.6 fantasy points and will likely be Wentz's go-to target while he is the starter in Minnesota.
It's unclear whether McCarthy will be out for any extended period of time, as his reported high-ankle sprain is nothing to take lightly.
While the young quarterback recovers, though, I expect Jefferson to regain his footing as one of the best wide receivers in both the NFL and in fantasy football circles.
Hopefully, for the sake of the Vikings, this resurgence of their number one wide receiver will get their season back on track, as they head back across the Atlantic with a 2-2 record and potentially looking up at teams like Detroit and Green Bay after today.
There's still plenty of season left, so Vikings fans can take comfort in saying, "Welcome back, Justin Jefferson."