The Vikings will be without their top receiver for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.
After being sidelined from practice all week, Minnesota ruled Justin Jefferson out on Friday with an ankle injury.
Jefferson, 27, sprained his left ankle and was removed during the first quarter of the Vikings’ 23-16 Week 3 victory over the Buccaneers.
With Jefferson out, receiver Jordan Addison, who caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown against Tampa Bay, will likely be Minnesota’s top target against the Dolphins.
Despite ultimately avoiding a major injury, the four-time Pro Bowl wideout was unable to practice this week, with head coach Kevin O’Connell hoping that Jefferson — a Louisiana native and former LSU standout — can return by Minnesota’s Week 5 matchup against the Saints.
“He’s going to get treatment throughout the next couple of days, and the goal is to try to get him back out there practicing next week,” O’Connell told reporters, according to The Athletic. “I know it’s a big one for him next week going to Louisiana.”
Sunday’s game marks the first game Jefferson will miss since the 2023 season, when he was sidelined for seven games with a hamstring injury.
Through the first three games of 2026, Jefferson has posted 179 receiving yards with two touchdowns on 13 receptions, helping the Vikings to a 3-0 start this season.
Jefferson, drafted by Minnesota with the No. 22 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, has spent the entirety of his seven-year career with the Vikings, putting up a total of 8,659 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns, earning two All-Pro teams in 2022 and 2024.
