SportsEthos 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Guide

Minnesota Vikings Team Preview 25/26

Minnesota Vikings Team Preview 25/26

 In almost every conceivable measure, this Vikings team should be highly recommended for Fantasy managers. This team brings back almost everyone from an incredible 14-3 season, including a stalwart RB2 in fantasy with Aaron Jones, who will also be adding in Jordan Mason from the 49ers, who filled in well in Christian McCaffrey’s absence, Justin Jefferson who will clearly be one of the top draft picks off the board in 2025,  Jordan Addison who while inconsistent at points throughout the 2024  still showed flashes of brilliance,  along with that comes a pretty exciting offensive line led by Christian Darrisaw, Ryan Kelly Brian O’Neal and newcomer Will Fries. Let’s not forget what was also an incredible defense, which focused on a blitz-heavy package that was very effective for Fantasy managers throughout the year. Brian Flores excels with this 2025 Defensive class by bringing in Jonathan Allen from the Commanders. On the surface, this should be easy for Fantasy managers and experts alike to decipher. The issue is quarterback Sam Darnold, even with a career year, left to team up with a revamped receiving core in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Cooper Kupp and  Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the Seattle Seahawks for a 3-year, $100,500,000 contract with the Seattle Seahawks, including a $32,000,000 signing bonus with $52,500,000 guaranteed. At the same time, it is understandable why the Vikings wouldn’t want to pay that much, considering their disappointing playoff performance in Arizona against the Rams last season.  It does put a lot on the shoulders of J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings drafted last season with the 10th overall selection. J.J. McCarthy, and this time last season, was in the middle of a quarterback battle with Sam Darnold and performed pretty solidly in training camp, but unfortunately suffered a fully torn meniscus in his right knee before the regular season began. The one positive of this whole situation is head coach Kevin McConnell, who has definitely earned the title of the modern quarterback Whisperer in the NFL, as he has helped resurrect the careers of the aforementioned Sam Darnold and, to a lesser extent, Kirk  Cousins and Josh Dobbs. With that said, it’s challenging to make a concrete prediction of what this team will do from a fantasy perspective, but it certainly makes it a great case study. 


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