Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson

23-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
Minnesota Vikings
2022 Fantasy Outlook
On a per-target basis, Jefferson's second NFL season (9.7 YPT) wasn't quite as dominant as his first (11.2). But that's nitpicking; the bigger picture shows he added 42 targets from the previous year and was still one of the most efficient wideouts in the league. Only 11 produced more yards per target, and that includes four who saw 70 or fewer passes. Jefferson finished fourth among WRs in targets and catches, second in receiving yards and tied for sixth in touchdowns. The 23-year-old often makes it look easy, seemingly playing both bigger and faster than his on-paper metrics suggest (6-1, 195, 4.43 40, 37.5-inch vertical). From a fantasy standpoint, there's just as much to like, with Jefferson playing in an above-average offense that has enough weapons to keep defenses honest but nobody to challenge him as the go-to guy. Jefferson surpassed Adam Thielen for that honor mid-2020, and while the 31-year-old Thielen scored 10 touchdowns last year, he saw 2.5 fewer targets per game than his young running mate (9.8 to 7.3). If anything, the split could go even more in Jefferson's direction this year, though there is another variable with new head coach Kevin O'Connell arriving from the Rams. Other than that, stability is the story, with QB Kirk Cousins and RB Dalvin Cook joining Jefferson, Thielen and TE Irv Smith to form one of the league's more well-rounded groups of skill-position players. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $13.12 million contract with the Vikings in July of 2020.
Takes home OPOY
WRMinnesota Vikings
February 9, 2023
Jefferson was named the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Jefferson has taken a step forward in production in each of his three seasons in the NFL, and he finished 2022 with 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns across 17 games. He consistently put up big receiving lines to reach those marks, surpassing 100 receiving yards in 10 games and 150 yards on four occasions. The Vikings will almost certainly pick up Jefferson's fifth-year option on his rookie deal that guarantees he will remain with the team through 2024, though it's also possible that he'll reach a long-term deal with Minnesota this offseason.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Justin Jefferson's 2022 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
107.9
 
Air Yards Per Snap
1.78
 
% Team Air Yards
38.3%
 
% Team Targets
28.4%
 
Avg Depth of Target
10.1 Yds
 
Catch Rate
69.6%
 
Drop Rate
1.6%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
4.9
 
% Targeted On Route
26.0%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
2.56
 
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2022
2021
2020
2022 NFL Game Log
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2021 NFL Game Log
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2020 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Minnesota VikingsVikings 2022 WR Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

108892%
00%
105089%
00%
86874%
00%
827%
00%
575%
00%
20%
00%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Justin Jefferson lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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Side
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2022 Justin Jefferson Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Justin Jefferson's measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 1"
 
Weight
195 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.43 sec
 
Vertical Jump
37.5 in
 
Broad Jump
126 in
 
Hand Length
9.13 in
 
Arm Length
33.00 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Justin Jefferson See More
Dynasty Watch: Post-Combine WR Rankings
12 days ago
Quentin Johnston confirmed elite measurables at the combine while some of his competition at receiver slipped.
Dynasty Watch: Pre-Combine WR Rankings
34 days ago
Jordan Addison might not generate as much hype as recent WR1 selections, but the Pittsburgh-USC star is still a strong WR1 prospect in his own right.
Best Ball Journal: Underdog 2023 Rookies
49 days ago
Bijan Robinson might be a rookie, but drafters might need a top-15 pick to select him when Underdog unveils its Big Board contest Friday.
Target Breakdown: 2022 Wide Receiver Recap and 2023 Early Fantasy Rankings
53 days ago
Jerry Donabedian hands out awards, checks in on offseason injury rehabs and looks ahead to a weak class of WR free agents
FanDuel NFL: Saturday Divisional Round Breakdown
64 days ago
Dan Marcus analyzes FanDuel's Saturday divisional playoffs DFS slate as Evan Engram has the potential to be a contest-winning play.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
With Stefon Diggs sent off to Buffalo, the Vikings needed to find a reliable complement to Adam Thielen last season. It didn’t take long. Despite a limited offseason and training camp, and playing only 65 snaps combined in Weeks 1-2, Jefferson set the league on fire as a rookie, leading the NFL in YPT (11.2) by a mile and finishing fourth in receiving yards (1,400). At 6-1, 202, and with good speed (4.45), Jefferson is athletic, smooth and explosive. Despite getting only 125 targets (18th), Jefferson tied for the league lead in catches of 20-plus yards with 23. The only hole in his game was red-zone usage — he saw only 12 inside-the-20 targets, eight inside the 10 and two inside the five, while his less efficient teammate Thielen had 20, 13 and eight, respectively. It’s no wonder then that Thielen had 14 touchdowns on 108 targets to Jefferson’s seven on 125. Heading into 2021, Jefferson is firmly established as Kirk Cousins’ big-play receiver and likely top dog. Thielen is still solid and should reprise a prominent role, but the depth chart thins considerably after those two, so expect an increase in targets for Jefferson in Year 2.
The Vikings traded Stefon Diggs to the Bills for the 22nd pick and used it to select Jefferson, his replacement. Jefferson was a monster at LSU last year with 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns on 111 catches. At 6-1, 202, Jefferson has above average size and good speed (4.43), and his vertical (37.5 inches) and broad jumps (126 inches) were both in the top quartile among his peers. While Jefferson might be ideally suited for the slot - where he dominated at LSU - he'll likely have to play out wide more in Minnesota's two-TE offense. Even in three-wide formations, it could be Adam Thielen rather than Jefferson getting the majority of slot snaps. Either way, the rookie should begin the year as the Vikings' No. 2 target behind Thielen, providing some much-needed downfield playmaking for Kirk Cousins.
More Fantasy News
Big plays limited in loss
WRMinnesota Vikings
January 15, 2023
Jefferson corralled seven of nine targets for 47 yards in Sunday's 31-24 playoff loss to the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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Rested during second half
WRMinnesota Vikings
January 8, 2023
Jefferson caught four of five targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears.
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May not play full game
WRMinnesota Vikings
January 6, 2023
Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Jefferson and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nelson of SI.com reports. "We've got a pretty clear cut plan with how we want to go about the whole game, but we're going to go in with the expectation of our guys going and try to get off to a good start and play good football," O'Connell said.
ANALYSIS
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Just one catch Sunday
WRMinnesota Vikings
January 1, 2023
Jefferson caught one of five targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 41-17 loss to the Packers.
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Tops 100 yards again
WRMinnesota Vikings
December 24, 2022
Jefferson caught 12 of 16 targets for 133 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 27-24 win over the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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