MINNESOTA VIKINGS
NFC North•9-8 SU · 8-8-1 ATS•U.S. Bank Stadium
2026 Just J Football Companion profile
Schedule
Next up · Week 1
vs Green Bay Packers
Sun 9/13 · 4:25 PM
2026 schedule
- Wk 1vs Green Bay PackersSpread —Total —Sun 9/13 · 4:25 PM
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- Wk 2at Chicago BearsSpread —Total —Sun 9/20 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 3at Tampa Bay BuccaneersSpread —Total —Sun 9/27 · 4:05 PM
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- Wk 4vs Miami DolphinsSpread —Total —Sun 10/4 · 4:05 PM
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- Wk 5at New Orleans SaintsSpread —Total —Sun 10/11 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 6Bye week
- Wk 7vs Indianapolis ColtsSpread —Total —Sun 10/25 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 8at Detroit LionsSpread —Total —Sun 11/1 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 9at Buffalo BillsSpread —Total —Mon 11/9 · 8:15 PM
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- Wk 10at Green Bay PackersSpread —Total —Sun 11/15 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 11vs San Francisco 49ers (Mexico City)Spread —Total —Sun 11/22 · 8:20 PM
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- Wk 12vs Atlanta FalconsSpread —Total —Sun 11/29 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 13vs Carolina PanthersSpread —Total —Sun 12/6 · 4:25 PM
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- Wk 14at New England PatriotsSpread —Total —Thu 12/10 · 8:15 PM
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- Wk 15vs Detroit LionsSpread —Total —Sun 12/20 · 8:20 PM
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- Wk 16vs Washington CommandersSpread —Total —
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- Wk 17at New York JetsSpread —Total —Sun 1/3 · 1:00 PM
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- Wk 18vs Chicago BearsSpread —Total —
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Every game gets a JustJ pick — ATS side and total. Posted numbers are used the moment books hang them; until then the pick is quoted on the JustJ line and refreshes each week.
Schedule & market notes
- Bye: Week 6 — an early bye — a long back half of the season with no scheduled rest.
- Short-week / non-Sunday games: 1 Thursday, 1 Monday — short-rest games carry their own well-documented ATS variance, worth flagging on your calendar as they approach.
- International game(s): Week 11 vs San Francisco 49ers (Mexico City) — a true road game with no home-field advantage and real short-week/travel logistics even when technically the “home” team.
53-MAN ROSTER
Handicapping
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
8-8-1
50% cover rate — 16th of 32
2025 Straight up
9-8
Point differential +11
Scoring environment
39.8
Combined points per game — 30th highest of 32
Home venue
Turf
U.S. Bank Stadium
Points scored / allowed
20.2 per game scored (26th) · 19.6 allowed (7th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +0.6 (17th) · Strength of schedule +0.1
- Trend: Kyler Murray arrives on a one-year bridge deal after the Kevin O'Connell/J.J. McCarthy pairing didn't stick — a genuine QB-uncertainty situation to track early.
- Trend: Minnesota has reached four Super Bowls (1969, 1973, 1974, 1976 seasons) and lost all four — still the NFL's longest active title drought without a championship, a storyline worth keeping in mind for any long-range futures pricing.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+0.7
16th of 32 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-3.4
25th of 32
Defensive SRS
+4.2
4th of 32
Points (margin of victory)
+0.6 · 17th of 32
Against the spread
8-8-1 (50%) · 16th of 32
Totals (combined PPG)
39.8 · 30th of 32
Turnover differential -9 · 2025 results, Just J Football Companion / Pro-Football-Reference.
Power ratings & 2025 results
- 2025 record: 9-8-0 — Points For 344, Points Against 333 (differential +11).
- Margin of Victory: +0.6 pts/game — the average scoring margin across all 2025 games, win or lose.
- Strength of Schedule (SoS): +0.1 — Pro-Football-Reference's SRS-based measure of 2025 opponent quality; positive means a tougher slate than average.
- SRS (power rating): +0.7 — Simple Rating System score, which converts directly to a projected point spread on a neutral field against a leagueaverage team.
- Offensive SRS: -3.4 · Defensive SRS: +4.2 — the SRS power rating split into offensive and defensive components; higher offensive and higher defensive figures are both better.
- Turnover differential: -9 — total takeaways minus giveaways across the 2025 season, one of the more volatile year-to-year metrics and worth weighing against the rest of this profile rather than on its own.
League-wide unit ranks
Offensive Line
12
Defensive Line / Front Seven
22
Lost Jonathan Greenard; leaning on Dallas Turner's development plus 1st-round rookie Caleb Banks
Linebackers
20
Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman both strong run defenders but hit career-low coverage grades in 2025
Defensive Backs / Secondary
—
Special Teams
—
Kicker: Will Reichard
Overall Offense
25
Offensive SRS: -3.4
Overall Defense
4
Defensive SRS: +4.2
Handicapping notes
- Turf: U.S. Bank Stadium — 2025: 9-8 straight-up, 8-8-1 against the spread.
- : Kyler Murray arrives on a one-year bridge deal after the Kevin O'Connell/J.J. McCarthy pairing didn't stick — a genuine QB-uncertainty situation to track early.
- : Minnesota has reached four Super Bowls (1969, 1973, 1974, 1976 seasons) and lost all four — still the NFL's longest active title drought without a championship, a storyline worth keeping in mind for any long-range futures pricing.
Pro Bowlers
- Offense: None — no Vikings player made the 2025-season Pro Bowl, the team's first shutout since 2014.
- Defense: None.
Coaches
Coaching staff
Head Coach
Kevin O'Connell
5th season
Offensive Coordinator
Wes Phillips
3rd season
Offensive Line Coach
Keith Carter
Defensive Coordinator
Brian Flores
4th season
Defensive Line Coach
Ryan Nielsen
Offense
Offensive unit ranks
Offensive Line Rank
13/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Key skill players
- QB1Kyler MurrayQB16
- RB1Aaron Jonesoutside the top 30 RBs
- WR1Justin JeffersonWR6
- WR2Jordan Addisonoutside the top 40 WRs
- TE1T.J. HockensonTE14
- TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST)Vikings D/ST
Key Offensive Line
LT Christian DarrisawVirginia Tech
4 yr / $113M extension; ~$28.25M AAV, $77M guaranteed. 6th NFL season; one of the NFL's premier young left tackles when healthy.
RT Brian O'NeillPittsburgh
4 yr / $96M extension; ~$24M AAV. 8th NFL season; a 2018 second-round pick and one of the most durable tackles in the league.
LG Donovan JacksonOhio State
still on his rookie contract (2025 1st-round pick). 2nd NFL season; a national champion at Ohio State entering his first full season as a starter.
Defense
Defensive unit ranks
Defensive Line Rank (front seven)
20/32
Sharp Football Analysis, 2026 preseason
Defensive efficiency
- 4.7 yards allowed per play, 3rd of 32.
- 28.1% pressure rate generated (blitzed on 44.3% of dropbacks), 3rd of 32.
- 35.4% opponent drive scoring rate — a middle-of-the-pack mark.
- 11.0% opponent drive turnover rate — roughly league-average.
- 107 missed tackles on the season.
Key Defensive Line
Edge Andrew Van GinkelWisconsin-Whitewater
1 yr / $23M extension (2025), $22.4M guaranteed; ~$23M AAV — the Vikings' top-paid defensive lineman after releasing DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason. 8th NFL season; a Division III product turned Pro Bowlcaliber pass rusher.
Edge Dallas TurnerAlabama
still on his rookie contract (2024 1st-round pick), stepping into a larger starting role in 2026 alongside Van Ginkel.
DT Jalen Redmondundrafted — signed via the UFL's Arlington Renegades
re-signed after a breakout 2025; earned a 75.6 PFF grade with 18 tackles, 6 TFLs, a sack, and 2 batted passes, emerging as the Vikings' best defensive tackle over expensive veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave before both were released.
Key Linebackers
MLB Blake CashmanMinnesota
the leader and lead communicator of Brian Flores's defense; 7th NFL season, a Minnesota native who returned home in 2024 and has racked up 256 tackles over two seasons as a Viking.
ILB Eric WilsonCincinnati
signed a three-year extension after a career-resurgence 2025 season starting in place of an injured Cashman. 9th NFL season; at 31, his ability to replicate that form is a real question the Vikings are counting on.
ILB Ivan Pace Jr.Cincinnati
depth linebacker who fell down the depth chart behind Wilson's 2025 emergence; 4th NFL season, remains in the mix as a rotational piece.
Key Defensive Backs
CB Byron Murphy Jr.Washington
still on his rookie-era extension window; 8th NFL season, a 2024 Pro Bowler who led the league in interceptions among cornerbacks that year and remains Minnesota's top corner.
CB Isaiah RodgersMassachusetts
returning starter opposite Murphy; 7th NFL season, holding down the other outside corner spot after fending off free-agent competition.
S Josh MetellusMichigan
returning starting safety; 7th NFL season, a versatile utility piece who plays multiple spots and alignments in Flores's scheme, now doing so without longtime running mate Harrison Smith for the first time in his career. NF C N OR T H MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Fantasy
Projected fantasy points per game · 2026
Standard 12-team scoring (non-PPR): 1 pt / 25 pass yds, 4 pts pass TD, -2 INT, 1 pt / 10 rush+rec yds, 6 pts TD, -2 fumble lost. Projections are modeled from each player's 2026 positional rank.
| Player | Rank | Proj FPPG | Proj season | Actual FPPG | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 Kyler Murray | QB16 | 16.7 | 284 | — | — |
| RB1 Aaron Jones | outside the top 30 RBs | — | — | — | — |
| WR1 Justin Jefferson | WR6Starter | 15.4 | 262 | — | — |
| WR2 Jordan Addison | outside the top 40 WRs | — | — | — | — |
| TE1 T.J. Hockenson | TE14 | 9.0 | 153 | — | — |
| TEAM DEFENSE (D/ST) Vikings D/ST | — | — | — | — | — |
Season fantasy tracker
Weekly fantasy scoring for these players appears here once 2026 games go final — each week's points are graded in standard 12-team scoring and rolled into the actual FPPG above.
Environment
- Home games: played under a fixed or retractable roof — every home date is a weather-neutral, full-strength fantasy environment for this offense.
- Road dome/retractable-roof games: ideal weather-neutral spots for maximum fantasy production: Wk 5 (New Orleans Saints), Wk 8 (Detroit Lions).
- 2025 recap: Justin Jefferson remained a top-tier fantasy WR despite QB instability, while Aaron Jones and the run game stayed touch-dependent behind an offense that never settled at quarterback.
- 2026 projection: Jefferson is a locked-in top-6 WR regardless of who's throwing him the ball. Kyler Murray's arrival gives Minnesota a real rushing floor at QB that could boost the whole offense's fantasy relevance, though it's a one-year bridge situation with real uncertainty.
- Justin Jefferson: Pro: elite target volume and route-running regardless of QB situation. Con: minimal — an every-week must-start.
- Kyler Murray: Pro: real rushing floor gives him streaming-QB1 upside on a given week. Con: a one-year bridge deal and new system carry real uncertainty. NF C N OR T H MINNESOTA VIKINGS
NOTES
No notes on MINNESOTA VIKINGS yet.