BIGGEST Fantasy Football Questions for the Vikings with Matthew Coller
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
36 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 14, 2026
Published
Fri, August 14, 2026
14
Player insights
14
Players mentioned
Topics
Aaron JonesDeWayne McBrideDrew BreesJ.J. McCarthyJalen NailorJauan JenningsJordan AddisonJordan MasonJosh AllenJustin JeffersonKirk CousinsKyler MurrayMyles GaskinT.J. Hockenson
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Jones
PositiveRole28:13
Aaron Jones remains highly trusted by the Vikings' coaching staff as the primary starter and is considered one of the league's best receiving backs. Matthew Coller expects him to play a significant role, though the team may manage his workload to ensure he stays healthy for a full 17-game season, potentially resulting in a 50/50 split with Jordan Mason.
Insight pageDeWayne McBride
NegativeDepth Chart30:40
Matthew Coller expresses skepticism regarding DeWayne McBride's immediate fantasy impact, noting that while his raw physical skill and speed are impressive, he lacks the necessary experience in Kevin O'Connell's complex run scheme. Coller suggests McBride may not even be the current RB3, as he faces competition from the more experienced and trusted Myles Gaskin.
Insight pageDrew Brees
PositiveProjection15:33
Drew Brees is cited by Matthew Coller as the gold standard for elite NFL quarterback accuracy, specifically referencing his ability to hit targets with extreme consistency to illustrate the high standard required for professional success.
Insight pageJ.J. McCarthy
NegativeProjection2:25
Matthew Coller reports that JJ McCarthy struggled with inconsistency throughout training camp, specifically regarding quick processing and accuracy on routine throws. While McCarthy possesses the physical tools to potentially develop into an NFL starter in the future, he lacks the natural, elite-level precision of top-tier quarterbacks and requires significant development to meet the consistency standards of Kevin O'Connell's offense.
Insight pageJalen Nailor
NegativeDepth Chart25:30
Jalen Nailor has moved on to the Raiders, concluding his tenure in Minnesota where he primarily served as a deep-route runner and clear-out option.
Insight pageJauan Jennings
PositiveSleeper33:58
Jauan Jennings is viewed as an ideal WR3 for the Vikings due to his gritty blocking, chemistry with the quarterback, and ability to master a complex offensive system. Despite lacking elite speed, he is a physical, strong receiver who recorded 132 receptions over the last two years in San Francisco. Matthew Coller highlights him as a high-value late-round target, though his fantasy output may fluctuate behind Justin Jefferson.
Insight pageJordan Addison
PositiveBreakout12:27
Jordan Addison is a key target in the Vikings' offense, praised by Matthew Coller for his unique route-running skills, including elite quickness and bendiness. Addison earned significant first-team reps alongside Kyler Murray during training camp and has shown strong chemistry with the starter. 2026 is viewed as a critical 'prove it' year for Addison as he plays for a potential contract extension.
Insight pageJordan Mason
PositiveUsage27:16
Matthew Coller clarifies that rumors of Jordan Mason being the Vikings' RB1 are exaggerated, but argues he deserves more carries due to his 4.8 yards-per-carry efficiency. Mason has lost weight and looks quick in camp; Coller believes the team should lean heavier into him given the new run scheme and commitment to the run, though he expects a rotation with Aaron Jones to keep the veteran healthy.
Insight pageJosh Allen
NegativeUsage56:54
Josh Allen's mobility and read-option capability create defensive gravity, but Ian Hartitz notes that his frequent goal-line rushing usage can complicate fantasy projections for Buffalo's running backs by cannibalizing potential touchdown opportunities.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
PositiveUsage0:33
Justin Jefferson remains the clear focal point of the Vikings' passing attack, consistently vacuuming up roughly 15 targets per game. Matthew Coller notes Jefferson has established strong chemistry with Kyler Murray in training camp, with Murray frequently connecting on the same quick-out routes that were a staple under Kirk Cousins. Jefferson's elite route running, specifically his deep corner route, and his outstanding contested catch ability—evidenced by his legendary fourth-and-18 catch in Buffalo—remain central to his fantasy value. Coller views Jefferson as the only Vikings pass-catcher immune to the target volatility expected in the team's run-heavy offensive shift.
Insight pageKirk Cousins
NegativeProjection10:04
Kirk Cousins serves as the historical benchmark for the Vikings' offense, with his high completion percentage on quick-out routes to Justin Jefferson setting the standard for the rhythm and execution required in Kevin O'Connell's system. His productive chemistry with Jefferson, including high-leverage contested catches, remains a reference point for the team's passing success.
Insight pageKyler Murray
PositiveRole2:05
Matthew Coller confirms Kyler Murray won the starting quarterback job after vastly outperforming JJ McCarthy in camp with 'pristine' practices and superior progression speed. Murray is considered one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, particularly in the intermediate middle area, where he went 30-for-41 in 2024. While his height creates challenges for middle-of-the-field passing, his elite mobility and ability to escape pressure are top-tier. Coller notes that Murray's success hinges on his ability to trust receivers on blind, tight-window throws, and his mobility creates a 'gravity effect' that benefits the team's run game efficiency.
Insight pageMyles Gaskin
PositiveDepth Chart32:14
Matthew Coller identifies Myles Gaskin (referred to as Xavier Scott) as a significant hurdle for rookie DeWayne McBride. Gaskin is an intelligent, experienced player who is trusted by the coaching staff to pass protect and catch the ball, making him a strong candidate for the RB3 role.
Insight pageT.J. Hockenson
PositiveValue35:22
Matthew Coller identifies T.J. Hockenson as a cheap late-round fantasy option who remains highly reliable. Despite recent statistical dips due to an ACL injury and overall team struggles, Hockenson's deep knowledge of the system and ability to find vacated space underneath make him a strong candidate for targets when the offense functions correctly.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00What's going on everybody? Today we're breaking down all things about the Minnesota Vikings from a mostly fantasy football angle, including just how much
0:07faith we should have in Kyler Murray, having a long leash over JJ McCarthy, who's the running back to owner this model committee. And please, for the
0:14love of God, if we can get Justin Jefferson back doing Justin Jefferson things, very special guest helping me accomplish all this. We got Matthew
0:21Coller in the house, Matthew Coller on the old Twitter sphere. guys know him from the Purple Insider, also author of the excellent Football is a numbers game
0:29book, a learned author talking Vikings with me. What's up, Matthew?
0:33>> I'm doing well. I'm doing well. I always like to remind your audience when I come on that once upon a time after Justin
0:40Jefferson's first season, I said, you know, he reminds me of Julio Jones in some ways because he's he's un, you know, uncoverable and under all
0:47circumstances he's good. And I got shredded in the comments. And then, you know, it wasn't long after that he won offensive player of the year. and so
0:54forth. But, you know, I guess uh I have to come with more detail about why Justin Jefferson will bounce back after
1:00kind of a tough season last year.
1:02>> Going to need it. Man, it's been one of those situations where I have these certain players where I catch myself a
1:07month ago thinking one way and then now I'm just completely, you know, reversing everything. But, as we talked about before the show even got started,
1:13Matthew, no actual football has uh been played in a real life game for quite some time. So, maybe I need to chill
1:18out. So, again, plenty of goodness to come with Justin Jefferson company. But we want to start off with the quarterback competition. We did get word
1:25a few days before we recorded this that Kyler Murray is in fact QB1. I expected it. You expected it. I think everyone
1:30knew it was coming. That said, I did want to ask you like in your eyes, was this really a true quarterback
1:36competition or was it just always going to be Kyler?
1:38>> So yeah, I've seen a lot of people say this was never a real competition, it was a charade. It was a scam. It was a
1:45fraud. And uh if that was the case, then they sure gave JJ McCarthy a lot of snaps. I I mean I've seen many a
1:53training camp with Kurt Cousins or even Sam Darnold locked in as the quarterback one and I can tell you they do not give
2:00Nick Mullins or whoever the backup was Trevor Simeon 50% of the total snaps and they don't usually have the third and
2:08fourth quarterback just standing over there and watching. Uh normally it would be like 75% of the snaps to the starting quarterback. So JJ McCarthy got a lot a
2:18lot of work through those first it was really about nine hard practices and the total rep count and we were out there
2:26scratching them down was 50/50. Now it wasn't 50/50 with the first team because Kyler Murray was clearly at the beginning of camp performing better than
2:36JJ McCarthy and the totality if we treated it like nine holes of golf.
2:41Kyler Murray played par golf from his practices. There were some holes that weren't as good as others, some practices that weren't as good as
2:47others. And JJ McCarthy was more like five over that the inconsistency in his game that existed last year continually showed up in practice where it was
2:57struggling with quick processing. It was the inaccuracy, the the touch passes. I think we saw some of them, but we did
3:04not see them at a consistent rate throughout practice. And with Kyler Murray, I think one of the goals of Kevin Oonnell was to really push him to
3:13be as prepared as he could possibly be.
3:15So letting him know right out of mini camp, dude, when you get here, you're gonna have to fight for your job. And
3:20when someone does have a reputation, whether it's right or wrong, uh, of well, does he put in the work? Does he
3:27really want to study football? Does he love football? Um, well, you know, I think one way to find out when you don't
3:33know Kyler Murray and you've never had him in your building before is to say this job is not going to be handed to
3:39you. And, uh, what we've really seen from Murray, even since he was named QB1, uh, his practices have been pristine. His control of the offense has
3:47looked really, really strong. and his connection with Justin Jefferson has as well, which was also a major part of why he won the quarterback competition that
3:56almost every day he was connecting multiple times with Justin Jefferson where JJ McCarthy when they got a chance to practice together still wasn't
4:04finding number 18 very often when he did get those first team reps. So, it was a real competition, but I always looked at
4:12it like a NASCAR race where two racers are on the same track, but one of them has the pole position and the other one
4:19is in 40th. And the guy from 40th can win if the pole position racer crashes.
4:26And if [clears throat] Kyler Murray had crashed and burned and had not been a fit in the offense and had not been
4:31liked around the building and everything else, well, they're only in for him at $1.3 million. they could have moved on pretty easily. Or if JJ McCarthy had
4:41come in looking like a totally different quarterback and just rocked it from day one, he's wow, he's taken this huge step. That's the franchise quarterback
4:49we were looking at. Then Kevin O'Connell would always have the option of going back to him. So I mean, because it's a
4:55quarterback competition, it comes along with a lot of takes and a lot of intrigue and a lot of what's really going on here. Um, but I think that the
5:04goal was to see where JJ McCarthy is really at, how far he's come in a short amount of time, and see if Kyler Murray
5:11is actually a fit for your offense. And that's really it to try to maybe do the best thing for your football team. I
5:16really don't think it was as wild as some people are making it out to be.
5:20>> Well, and that's really encouraging because again, us and sitting on the outside, not being there at practice, like we're trying to piece together a
5:25bunch of different sources. Just from my vantage point, it sounded like it was maybe closer than expected, but in your eyes really doesn't seem like that was
5:32the case.
5:33>> No, I don't think it was. Uh I think that Kyler Murray pretty vastly outperformed JJ McCarthy. And I was in
5:39attendance, not only in attendance for every single PA practice, but I also wrote down every single pass with its location and how many positive and
5:46negative throws were made, which I know is a little subjective on my part, but I even created a criteria and uh pulled
5:53other journalists with each positive and negative throw from each quarterback.
5:57And I mean, the thing that I noticed from doing that, it was a really fun exercise, honestly, because I've never had to focus that much. I mean, if it
6:04was Kirk Cousins, it's like, well, there's no question. I'm going to watch like the second string wide receiver to see if he's developing. Um, and so I was
6:11able to make, I think, a lot more observations. And one of them was that Kyler Murray, uh, plays at a speed with
6:18progressions that is much faster than JJ McCarthy. We were able to see that really up close and the accuracy is undeniable for Kyler Murray. So, even
6:29when we're talking underneath passes, which rarely get positives because it's short, it's supposed to be routine. Uh, he has great accuracy in throwing to the
6:38sidelines, getting rid of the football quickly. So, there are plays that the Vikings run all the time where you're having Justin Jefferson just run a quick
6:45out and Kurt Cousins, you know, I mean, his completion percentage was great on those. Well, that's a play that KOC is
6:52going to use a ton. Uh, it's not just, you know, sometimes people make a KC's offense out to seem like it was just
6:58Jameus Winston all the time, hail marrying balls down the field. It's, it wasn't during Kurt Cousins time here. A little bit more with Sam Darnold, but a
7:06lot of Cousins was just execution on these you have to read it out and then make a play. And Murray was much better
7:13at that, much more accurate, connected with uh Justin Jefferson much more often. So, I didn't see it as particularly close by the time we got to
7:21the end of it. I know other people had different opinions of that, but from tracking it out, there were far more
7:26positives for Kyler Murray. Far fewer negatives at the end of it. Uh, and I don't think that you can really score it
7:33like some sort of boxing match of, well, was this guy better this day or this guy better that day. Also, throughout the
7:39coaches will tell you because they're going to play the best players. And as they were giving Kyler Murray a a very
7:47much more first team reps, more work with Justin Jefferson, more work with Jordan Addison after the first few days, it was a pretty clear tell that all
7:55right, they think that Murray's getting it and they think that he's ahead in this competition. And then it became sort of a matter of time. Uh once that
8:02happened, >> I felt like it was over on August 4th when I saw this tweet from Kevin Cipher from ESPN. Quote, "An audible murmur
8:09from the crowd here in Egan after JJ McCarthy overthrows three consecutive passes to the corner in a goal line drill with no defense. I was rolling on
8:18my living room floor laughing at this."
8:20Matthew, were you there in attendance?
8:21Did you Can you confirm the audible murmur from the crowd?
8:24>> Oh, there was. Yeah, there was a I mean, I I guess I would have gone with a groan. Um, but an audible, oh, it was
8:32one of those drills where what you're supposed to do is basically the receiver run along the back line of the end zone
8:38and then the quarterback is just supposed to hit them. And I usually don't even really pay much attention to those because they're just so routine.
8:46And this is the thing about JJ McCarthy.
8:48And you know, I think that over time he can even these things out and with a lot of work and a lot of more development,
8:55he could be a starting quarterback at some point in the NFL in his future. But you shouldn't ever see things like that
9:01and you would see things like that on a daily basis. I mean, I think that one of the fundamental things we talked about
9:07with him coming out was how much can you improve someone's accuracy? And I believe the Vikings thought that if they worked out a few technical issues that
9:17he had at Michigan that his accuracy would come along with it. But you and I as golfers know that sometimes the
9:25whatever it is, the hard wiring of your brain, the consistency, because oh, he can throw a football way more accurately than the average person. But the guys
9:33who are in the top 15, 20 quarterbacks in the NFL, uh, I remember watching this sports science thing where Drew Brees
9:40stood like 20 yards away from a target and hit the bullseye 10 straight times.
9:45Well, if you hit the bullseye eight times, man, you're good at football, but are you good enough to play in the NFL
9:51and be an abovea starter? And that's been the issue for McCarthy. So, I think it's a matter of he is the type of
9:57person that isn't the most natural at this and needs more time, more years, more work, uh, to get down the consistency that's required to be a top
10:06NFL quarterback, which of course, Kyler Murray being a number one draft pick, Heisman Trophy winner, and even when he has had his best seasons, has been one
10:14of the more accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. That was very evident watching those guys practice. the gap between Kyler and McCarthy when it came to
10:22accuracy, which is very much required for Kevin Oonnell and his offense.
10:26>> It is a great point, man. Like, if you're the 35th best person on the planet in more jobs than not, you're
10:31going to be considered pretty freaking awesome. Unfortunately, NFL quarterback is not one of those. Also, we'll just say with JJ McCarthy, man, so many
10:38quarterbacks now, they start 50 games, they stay in school, they transfer three times. He is still only 23 years old.
10:44He's not turning 24 until January.
10:46America loves a comeback story. Seems like he's responded well enough. The benching wants to keep working hard.
10:51Everyone should be rooting for him.
10:53Great stuff on Kyler. Let's get to it though. The Justin Jefferson question.
10:56One of the things I was looking up this offseason, Matthew, was just kind of going through the idea of these catchable ball rates. All right. Because
11:02again, we got the raw catch rates, but as we know, some quarterbacks are more accurate than others. With Jefferson, man, I was able to take Kyler's in the
11:09first five weeks of last year. remove screens, only looked at wide receivers, plus 9% difference in terms of catchable ball rate with what Jedi was dealing
11:16with last year to hopefully what we could see from Kyler. Sure sounds like based on what you said so far, you have
11:21seen that chemistry sticking out. Does this training camp to you look much more like let's say 2022, 2024 for Justin Jefferson as opposed to last year?
11:30>> Yeah, it absolutely does. And in 2024 with Sam Darnold, when we knew something was up, and I didn't know it was going
11:36to be that good, but when we knew something was going on is when in practice they started connecting every day uh on downfield passes and we're
11:43like, is this is this happening with this Sam Darnold thing? Because if you could throw it to that guy, Nick Mullins
11:48knows this quite well, you can put up some big numbers. Um but there I'll highlight two plays from practice that really stood out to me with Justin
11:57Jefferson. One of them was a bad throw by Kyler Murray, but it was on a fourth down like situational type of drill and
12:04he rolled out to his left and just heaved it up in the air and Jefferson went up and mosed Isaiah Rogers who's a
12:10pretty darn good quarterback. And you know, the team puts it out on social media and people are like, "He under threw the ball." Uh, if he trusts
12:19Jefferson like that, it will pay off.
12:21And Kirk found that out a number of times. the catch in Buffalo that is, you know, legendary. The way he went up and
12:27got it on fourth and 18, we have seen his contested catch rate is outstanding.
12:31Uh he is one of the best in the NFL at tracking the football. And if Murray is willing to trust him in any situation
12:37and put the ball up for him, you're going to get rewarded for that. And then, you know, another one was in one
12:44of the first days of practice, one of Jefferson's best routes is the deep corner where he will kind of fake inside
12:51and he has this great speed that he he doesn't have to slow down to go into his brakes. So, he'll fake inside and then
12:57break hard on the outside corner. And I was standing in a spot where I could kind of be right behind Kyler Murray. He
13:04released the ball while Jefferson was still straight into his route. and the ball is in the air and it's like the NFL
13:10films.
13:12You're watching it as Jefferson goes into his break, turns around and then it hits him right in the pause for a 25
13:19yard gain. And it was like if they can do this guys, this is going to work between these two. And I I do think
13:25there's history to back that up with Kyler Murray that he has struggled with downfield passing recently, but I think that's also a wide receiver stat when
13:33you talk about throwing more than 20 yards in the air. when he was throwing to DeAndre Hopkins, when he was even
13:38throwing to Trey McBride, he had a ton of success. And I don't know that the Cardinals had a robust group of wide
13:45receivers or Marvin Harrison really helped him out uh all that much in the same way DeAndre Hopkins did. So, I've seen a lot of those things between those
13:53two that are particularly promising for that connection.
13:57>> I always be rooting for Marvin Harrison Jr. got that scarlet and gray, you know, flowing through my brain, my veins. But
14:02my god, man. Every single offseason we get him just looking jiggity jiggity jacked out here, but I've never seen someone less powerful or strong at the
14:10catch point and some of those contested situations. So hopefully Jefferson can bring out the best in that. You mentioned the corner route, you
14:16mentioned some of the downfield stuff.
14:17I'm sure you're aware like the other kind of flaw people point to with Kyler and obviously JJ last year is more of
14:22that over the middle stuff. You know, that 18 20 yard dig. I've kind of been worried about Kyler over the years and I
14:28feel like as much as people say like the height doesn't matter, I do think coaches would prefer your quarterback to be 6'5 when possible. Did you see that
14:34page of the playbook a little bit more open with Kyler or do you think it maybe could still be a little bit of a problem
14:39in 2026?
14:40>> The way I would put it is there's always going to be realities to Kyler Murray's size and it does impact how someone has
14:47to play the position. Uh just like if somebody's slow then it impacts like your physical attributes matter for how you play. And having grown up watching
14:56uh Doug Fluty, I grew up in Buffalo, you know, eventually, you know, some defenses found some answers to the Fluty Magic and uh everything else like that.
15:05We've seen that even with Russell Wilson where a lot of people wanted Russell Wilson to throw 35 times a game and then
15:12Seattle, I guess, gave into the internet and tried it and it was like, okay, we could see what some of the shortcomings
15:18are. Uh, I think that in general when Kyler Murray does see it well and executed on time, his accuracy to the
15:26middle of the field is absolutely outstanding. Uh, even if you go back and look in 2024 when he did throw in the
15:33intermediate area over the middle of the field, he was very successful. I think he went something like 30 for 41. Uh,
15:38you know, really accurate, really high, you know, PFF grades and so forth when he was doing that, but it wasn't a high
15:45percentage of his passes. And you do see when you watch back on tape where he'll drop back and you'll see the play
15:51developing and you'll think okay because you know we see from over top from the blimp all 22 and you're like throw it
15:58and then he doesn't throw it and you're like dude why didn't you throw it because we're not standing behind 6'7 offensive linemen with werewolves trying
16:06to kill us. Um so we can say throw it dude. Uh so there's there are too many of those on his tape but also you know
16:13Kevin Oonnell is aware of this as well.
16:15So, how they can create throwing lanes for him, how they can create plays where he is comfortable in the middle of the
16:22field. We have seen a good number of completions to the middle of the field during training camp, but we know that
16:28defenses are aware of this with him. And so, that the cat-and- mouse game of well, you can't just throw to the
16:33sidelines all the time. How are you going to mitigate that issue, but also try to still run the offense the way you
16:40want to run it? because Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold were very good on those inbreaking routes. Um, a lot of it might
16:46come down to Kyler and trust, which I think I remember u Kirk Cousins talking about this. One of the hardest things is
16:53to trust some of the tighter window throws or some of the ones that are if you're a millisecond late, it could be
16:59an interception. Uh, right. If you can trust the play and throw to a location, even if you can't see it out there,
17:06which some quarterbacks through the years that are smaller, Drew Brees or Steve Young were great at doing that. Uh Kyler has been really good throwing to
17:14the sidelines and the outside through his career, but can you get him to fully trust and buy into when I throw it to
17:21this location, Jefferson's going to be there, Addison's going to be there, even if I'm just doing it blind?
17:27It is one of those things though, and I like how you brought up the physical limitations at first, but also the fact
17:31that Kyler Murray is a freaking ridiculous athlete back there. And often he's the fastest dude on the football field. So, no, is he going to be quite
17:38as good thrown over the middle as Justin Herbert or a 67 dude? Probably not. But also, you know, when those rushers do
17:44get there, good luck finding, you know, five or more quarterbacks better than Kyler at getting away from those werewolves. I like the way you put that.
17:50Talked about Jefferson. I did also enjoy a storyline though about Kyler and Jordan Addison getting together, you know, under the Friday Night Lights,
17:56Texas High School football fields. How has that kind of connection look?
17:59Because I feel like Addison last year, you know, he's had the suspension going on, you know, always hasn't just I guess
18:04has I don't want to say hasn't had his head screwed on straight, but he's had an up and down, I would say, NFL career,
18:10but the ups have been awesome, man. It seems like a situation where if he can put together a good 2026, could be a
18:16nice little contract extension in play for him. How does he look so far in training camp? Yeah, and last year, you
18:21know, everyone's production on the Minnesota Vikings went down because not only were they not throwing the ball accurately to their wide receivers, they
18:28also just basically stopped throwing at the end of the season. I I think that uh JJ McCarthy averaged like 24 passes a
18:35game over the final stretch of the season. And that's just not going to get you a whole lot of big fantasy stats.
18:41So, they're going to throw a heck of a lot more than that throughout this season. But, I also think that, you
18:45know, there were some concentration issues from Addison. I wonder if, you know, the frustration of, you know, you kind of running a track meet out there
18:52at some point, uh, was an issue and not not trusting the quarterback. U, but he had more drops than we've ever seen him
18:59have before. And when he was playing with Sam Darnold or he was playing with Kirk Cousins, his route running is truly
19:06truly unique. The amount of detail that he puts into it, the the bendiness, the quickness out of his breaks is ridiculous. and also his just pure
19:16ability to catch the ball. As we begin uh preseason here, I'm reminded of he played one series of preseason. The first time he got here and the first
19:25catch he made was some ridiculous diving grab and it was like, "Okay, I think this guy's going to catch a lot of
19:31footballs." And uh we've seen that throughout his career that if you could put it in the general vicinity that contested catches is not about size.
19:39Someone should have mentioned that to the Cardinals about Marvin Harrison Jr.
19:42But, uh, it is, uh, you know, about how well you track the football, how strong your hands are, um, how fluid you are as
19:49an athlete, all those types of things.
19:51And he's got all of that in spades to have the talent to be a wide receiver, one on a lot of teams. And as you said,
19:57it's come together in stretches. Some of that is, it's harder to get consistent targets when one guy is vacuuming up 15
20:04of them a game, right, when it's comes to Justin Jefferson. But all the talent is there. uh his camp has been very very
20:11good with Kyler Murray as well and again this is why Kyler Murray is the starting quarterback. He's had great chemistry with these wide receivers. Um but it
20:19does come down to a prove it year for Jordan Addison because there is a contract extension out in front of him
20:26that he could potentially earn. But the Vikings could also end this season going we just don't really know what to make
20:31of you man. Um so it's kind of up to him. But, you know, when we talk about Kyler and his potential, I look at I
20:38mean, Jawan Jennings might be the second best wide receiver that he's ever had and he's the Vikings third wide receiver at this point. So, I don't think that it
20:48always applies that every single quarterback who has great receivers will just magically become a different player, but there is a case there when
20:55you see them practice to go, these these guys are a little different from what he's had in the past.
21:01>> Certainly helps, man. And I know our friend Eric Eager has done some great research in the past before he had to be
21:05all cool and go be, you know, a rockstar in the Panthers analytics department, but talking about how kind of more so in
21:10the modern day NFL, like of course we all want to have that Calvin Johnson number one wide receiver, but his point
21:15was that kind of having that depth, having that really good second and third wide receiver can make your overall passing attack that much more dangerous.
21:22So that was my next question for you too, like just between Jawan Jennings and TJ Hawinson, very very cheap in fantasy land. So, they would be more
21:28perspective late round darts than anything. But, have they in general looked pretty good out there? Because, man, if your third and fourth options
21:34are also looking good. I mean, I don't want to get too carried away, but all of a sudden, we could be having much much
21:38higher expectations for the scoring offense as a whole.
21:41>> Yeah. No, I and I think that's true for the offense. Um, if I put my fantasy hat on, and I know that that's your job. I
21:47do wonder about targets in general because the Vikings have put a huge emphasis this off season on running the football uh and wanting to run a lot
21:55better. They drafted a fullback. They drafted a running back. They brought in uh a new assistant coach, Frank Smith, from Miami to revamp their run game.
22:03They changed offensive line coaches. And it's been really evident out there how much they want it to be different. I'm sure you'll ask me about the backfield,
22:10but Oh, yeah.
22:11>> I just wonder about like how what kind of volume do they really want from this offense, from the quarterback? Because
22:18well, I think that the potential is fairly high for Kyler Murray. He still falls into that category of you do have
22:24to protect him to some extent. like Bo Nicks is like this or Jaylen Herz like you can win a lot of games but you have
22:29to you do have to do some things a certain way. So are you going to throw 40 times a game? I don't know if you
22:34want to do that with someone like Kyler Murray. So does that limit what Joan Jennings and TJ Hawinson can do? I mean,
22:42I think they both look totally fine uh with their chemistry with him. And what Jennings provides is Murray does like to
22:49get rid of the ball quickly, >> and he can turn three yards into 10 because he's just throwing cornerbacks and safeties off of his body. He's been
22:58in a couple of a couple of scraps so far in uh in the preseason. I'm like, I'll tell you who I wouldn't want to fight on
23:04the Vikings roster. It's Jawan Jennings because this guy is absolutely ripped.
23:09So, you know, it's like kind of having two tight ends out there. Only one of them has wide receiver hands and can go
23:14down the field. And Hawinson is just very reliable. I know that his numbers have been down. One, he was coming off
23:20the ACL injury in 2024 and then last year everyone's numbers are down. But he's a guy that it knows the game
23:27incredibly incredibly well. Knows the system incredibly well. And I've always looked at it as if your offense is functioning the right way, Hawinson gets
23:35a lot of footballs because you're forcing the defense to cover a lot of the deep stuff and you're leaving areas vacated underneath where Hawinson is
23:42great at finding uh and we know that Kyler likes to throw to his tight end as well. So, I think there's a a potential
23:48there for both guys. It's just are you throw if you're throwing what like 30 passes a game and you're completing 21
23:55of them. I mean, how many can go to everybody on a given week? I think it's going to be kind of, you know, peaks and
24:01valleys for everyone that's not named Justin Jefferson.
24:04>> I'm happy you're mindful of that because again, we will see sometimes big reporters who are great at their jobs.
24:09I'm not trying, like you said, it is it's my job, a fantasy nerd to try to go ahead and put the targets together, but
24:14sometimes projecting out those stats when you aren't actually going through again the sort of process of figure out how many targets are there really to go
24:20around. You can get a little bit carried away there. Also happened to hear that Jawan Jennings hasn't changed, man. That dude found a way to get a quarterback
24:27pissed off at him every single game in San Fran. He seems like the perfect number three receiver though for this offense cuz yeah these last two years so
24:35many injuries and San Fran like he actually had to be leaned on more often and credit to him for being taller
24:40enough to do so. But if Don Jennings your number three just with how again gritty he is blocking and everything like that's pretty ideal man.
24:46>> I absolutely agree. I mean to to me, you know, they had a pretty quiet off season and then all of a sudden they make this,
24:53you know, understated little signing, but Jawan Jennings has had 132 receptions over the last two years. I mean, this is a guy who has played in an
25:02offense in San Francisco that's not the easiest on wide receivers and it asks a lot from them and he's been able to
25:08master that and become a significant player for that team. And we talk about physical attributes. I mean, he doesn't have the best speed, but he finds ways
25:15to get open, and when he's got the ball in his hands, he is unique. There are not many guys at wide receiver who are
25:22that big, that strong, uh, and also have the violence in them. Like, he's he's got that dog in him for sure. Uh, and,
25:30you know, I really think that that's something that the Vikings offense needed. I mean, Jaylen Naylor, uh, he's a a great story and he worked super hard
25:37in Minnesota. So, it's cool that he's going to get an opportunity with the Raiders, but that was not an intimidator by any means, right? That was a guy who
25:44was running deep routes and clear outs and stuff. So, now having this reliable target who can move the sticks and oh,
25:50he's only going to average, you know, 10.2 yards per reception, but if you complete 74% of your passes throwing to him, you're feeling really good about
25:59those plays. So, I think that he is an absolutely vital addition to this team.
26:03Um, the only thing you think about is when you play with that level of violence, like can you be healthy for an
26:08entire season? And that's where we have seen Ty Felton take a huge step forward during training camp. This would have been a big story if you know, not for
26:16the quarterback competition is just how good Ty Felton has been, which is another potential mouth to feed if they work him in. But, you know, the Vikings
26:24probably have, I think, the deepest group of weapons because even their tight end, too, can catch the ball. Uh Josh Oliver, I mean, I don't know if
26:31it's in the entire NFL. You could tell me better than that, but it might be the deepest group in the entire NFL. And
26:36signing Jennings is a real kind of tipping point for that.
26:40>> Again, we're always one of those things where like I see the wide receiver duo debates and like Jackson Smith and the
26:44Jigba and Cooper Cup have to be up there because of how great JSN is, but always trying to battle that again. and how
26:49great is your top guy versus bottom dude when doing those sorts of studies. But great deal from Jawan. Again, third and
26:54Jawan. Obviously, so many fans in San Fran. More career playoff touchdown passes and Derek Carr. I'd be remiss if I don't mention that every single time
27:02Jawan comes up. Looking forward to seeing him again do his thing in Minnesota. You mentioned the backfield though, Matthew, and I've been honestly
27:08leaning on a quote that you had a little bit earlier this offseason. I forget what podcast it was on, but it was
27:12making its rounds. And you were bringing up the point that it could be a little bit more of the Jordan Mason show this
27:16this uh season than it was last year.
27:18Aaron Jones, you know, kind of preemptive starter, but had to take the pay cut. Has that played out here now that you've gotten to see it in training
27:24camp. Is Jordan Mason more so the running back y'all in Minnesota than last year?
27:28>> So, funny story about that. So, I was on that podcast and I've gone on with that person a couple of times and he asked me
27:36about the backfield and I gave this sort of long winding answer about how, you know, Kevin Oonnell is going to trust
27:42Aaron Jones, but I think that Jordan Mason should get more carries because he's averaging 4.8 8 yards carry and yada yada yada and everything else. And
27:50when he wrote his sort of recap of his takeaways from my comments, he said, "Well, it kind of looks like Jordan
27:56Mason could be, you know, RB1." And then I I s I heard it show up on every fantasy podcast and I'm like, "That's
28:02not really what I said." And I was getting DMs from fantasy people. Is Jordan Mason really RB1? Should I draft him much? And I'm like, that's not
28:12that's not exactly what I said.
28:13So, I'll uh I'll give you this for the clips or the quotables or whatever is that Aaron Jones is still highly trusted by the Vikings coaching
28:23staff. And we have to consider that Kyler Murray has really thrown to running backs a lot during his career and Jones is one of the best receiving
28:32backs in the NFL. Um, so I think he's going to play a lot. I don't know if it will be exactly a 50/50 split because
28:39they do want to make sure that Aaron Jones can play 17 games. Um, and Jordan Mason is the younger running back and so
28:46forth. If it were up to me, if I was sending the running backs out there, I would have Jordan Mason out there quite
28:51a bit more because I think that with this run scheme, a healthy offensive line, a new fullback in the mix. No
28:58disrespect, CJ Ham. Uh, but I think that a new commitment to the run game could make Jordan Mason very dangerous in this
29:07scheme. He's also, and this is a classic camp thing, I know, but he's lost a little weight. He looks like he's very
29:12very quick so far in training camp. Like a lot of arrows are pointing up for Jordan Mason with how much they've
29:18talked about wanting to run more often.
29:21And I think that it's just wise to have Aaron Jones more intermittently spliced in just because of the age and the
29:30workload that's been on him for his career. But he's a better pass protector than Jordan Mason. Mason really struggled in pass protection. I
29:37mentioned the pass catching the leadership that he has. And he's still got some juice, too. I think that, you know, we act like if someone turns 30
29:44that they've turned 78. That's not the case [clears throat] yet with Aaron Jones. So, it would not shock me at all
29:50if they end up with closer to 50/50 splits because of how much Jones is trusted, but I would like to see them
29:57lean heavier into Jordan Mason. So, there is the the official complete take on the Vikings backfield for the fantasy universe. Maybe not quite as provocative
30:07as I was hoping for for Jordan Mason given I drafted him. But I will say, man, again, just based on everything you
30:11talked about with Kyler and the passing game, the offense as a whole looking so much better. You would like to think
30:15that that rising tide is going to lift your short yardage goal line back. I mean, that was a crazy thing for Mason
30:20last year. Vikings running backs have the same amount of carries inside the 5 yardd line as the Raiders. Like, it really was a bad offense. So, if we can
30:27just go not even from bad to amazing, but from bad to average, above average, hopefully a lot more short yardage situations there for Mason. You
30:34mentioned more so 50/50, though. I mean, we do have a rookie day three running back who's short and kind of fast, so he
30:41must be Devon Aan Matthew. So, what do we think about Deon Claybourne, all jokes aside?
30:46>> Well, I think that when you watch Deon Claybourne in practice, your eyes pop out of your head because it isn't just
30:52the speed. I mean, I've seen plenty of guys that are fast, guys who have been kick returners for them and stuff like
30:58that. Kenny Wong Woo, Ty Chandler, I know we were probably talking about two or three years ago, and there was a
31:04point where I thought that they were going to use Tai Chandler a lot more, but trust was kind of an issue. And this
31:10is what circles back to with De Man Claybornne where I mean we're talking about a guy who was playing at Wake
31:15Forest and I just don't think that all the details are the same playing at no disrespect to Wake Forest but I don't
31:23think it's going to be quite the same as playing in Kevin Oonnell's run scheme the way that they're designing it at
31:29this point. So there's a lot of details that go into being a great running back in the NFL that people never discuss
31:35because it's just like yeah get ball and then run through hole and do touchdown.
31:38like that's it, right? Um, but there there are a lot of things to it and when you've seen guys who don't have those
31:44down, you recognize it right away like, oh, did did he go the wrong way on that run or did he, you know, they blocked it
31:50pretty good but he hit the wrong hole or he didn't have the right pacing. Like there's a lot of details there and you
31:55have to be able to be trusted in a play action situation to pass protect. This is a lot to ask from a sixthrounder from
32:02Wake Forest. His raw skill is very, very real and I would not be surprised if he is in the game. I also wouldn't be
32:08surprised if someone got banged up and then he got elevated. But I'm not even sure that he's RB3 on the depth chart
32:14right now because Xavier Scott is still on the team and last year Xavier was good for them when he came in. He could
32:21catch the ball. He could pass protect.
32:23Uh he knows the offense really well.
32:24He's been on practice squads for a while. So he's like an intell very intelligent player, experienced in some ways. And you know that's just not
32:33really the case with Deon Claybourne.
32:34So, we get really really excited about the talent and you are wowed by the quickness and the physical skill. I just
32:41think that that might be a next year thing like get him in in kick returns, get him in occasionally. Maybe you're up
32:4714 points in the fourth and you're like if we get, you know, a 30 yard run here, game over. Let's put in Deon Claybourne
32:53and give him a [clears throat] shot. But it's going to be about a lot about trust in this in this backfield. So, I would
32:58pump the brakes on like him, but if you get one or two guys hurt, then he could be in the game. So, that's that's why
33:05it's it's always a little hard to predict with that position of who's going to stay healthy.
33:10>> Death, taxes, fantasy nerves falling maybe a little bit too hard for rookie, speedy, maybe undersized running backs, but hey, could still be a fun feature
33:18there. And hey, for these types of players, like they better be flashing without the pads on early on in camp, but sounds like he at least was to a
33:25decent extent. So, at least we got that going for us. Matthew, fantastic stuff.
33:29Thank you again for the time. Do you have a bull call though that you want to leave us with? It could be about the
33:32Vikings, could be about the NFL, could be about your golf game. Any bull calls you want to kind of leave us with?
33:37>> Uh, yeah. Um, let me think. I'm trying How about How about uh the Vikings crack the top 10 in rushing yards. Is that
33:47bold?
33:48>> Okay. Yeah, I'd say that's bold. Anyway, close dirt cheap in fantasy land, man. So, I say that's pretty bold.
33:55>> Okay, I'll go with it. Uh, and maybe bold will be that I'll break 80 by the end of the by the start of the season,
34:02by the end of the fall. We'll see.
34:03>> We're rooting for you. I will say that's the other part with Kyler Murray, and I've done this study in the past when
34:08you look at it's not perfect, but I like the RB rush yards before contact as like an offensive line stat, and you see it,
34:14man. Lamar Jackson, Kyler, like Josh Allen Herz, all these offenses with a quarterback that can run the read option. You see the gravity effect, and
34:21it really does help that yards per carry. It gets us into trouble sometimes in Buffalo and Philly when it's all right well we got down the one yard line
34:28now it's time to help push Josh or Jaylen into the end zone but Kyler I mean you mentioned before you got to
34:33protect him a little bit he hasn't been that sort of guy throughout his career so hopefully even if the offensive line
34:38isn't you know a massive step forward just having Kyler there should help a lot I I really think it it has and the
34:43commitment to it is really the biggest thing for me where that's what I feel like the run game is a lot about and
34:50that's why these Kubaks and Shanahans they always have a lot success with it.
34:54It's not commitment in just the number of plays that they call, but also even just how you practice, like what level
34:59of detail. And this by far is the biggest camp where they have had the most focus on the run game. And I think
35:06the most impressive runs that we've seen in practice. It felt like at times it was maybe more of an obligation or like
35:12a well, why don't you just get me to a play action if you could with your run game whereas now I think they want to
35:19have it as a major part of their actual attack. So that that's why I'm going there. And I do agree like when you have
35:26really good, you know, quarterbacks that can draw attention from the defense when they can run that it does open some things up. Um, so it really comes down
35:33to how healthy they stay in the back field and the offensive line. I think >> I know I've heard a lot of Vikings uh
35:39complaints very openly on the old Twitter sphere about the third and one passing uh tendencies of KC. So nothing wrong with just, you know, getting two
35:46yards in a cloud of dust there and getting that new set of downs as well.
35:49Again guys, Matthew Coller, Matthew Coller, author of Football's a numbers game and covering the Vikings at Purple Insider. Thank you again, my friend, for
35:56coming on. Thank you guys again for listening to the show. If you like the show, then please hit that like button.
36:00Subscribe always helps as well. If you're into it, it is a free country of course. Always remember Rotoire, a one-stop shop for all things fantasy as
36:07well. But for Matthew, I'm Ian. Enjoy some freaking preseason football everyone. We are so back and until next time, take care everybody.
