2026 Minnesota Vikings Team Preview

By Brian Murphy, Thursday, July 30, 2026 1:07:12 PM EDT

O'Connell carries a 43 -25 regular-season record into year five, but he
has yet to find his footing in January, going 0-2 in playoff starts. His NFL
coaching career began in 2015 with Cleveland before taking over
offensive coordinator duties in Washington and Los Angeles from 2019
through 2021.
Wes Phillips has been in charge of Minnesota’s offense since 2022. His
first NFL coaching job came in 2007 for the Dallas Cowboys. Most of
his experience has come as a tight ends coach. The Vikings plummeted
to 26th in points scored (344) and 28th in offen sive yards (5,036) last
season.
Minnesota hired Brian Flores to run its defense in 2023. He had three
mediocre head coaching seasons (24 -25) for the Miami Dolphins from
2019 to 2021. His professional coaching career began in 2008 with the
New England Patriots. The Vikings played well on defense over the past
two seasons. They allowed 333 points (7th) while ranking 4th in yards
allowed (5,131).

Offense

Over the past two seasons, the Vikings allowed 49 and 60 sacks, with
the latter exposing J.J. McCarthy as a viable starting NFL quarterback.
Minnesota ran the ball 45.9% of the time, up slightly from 2024 (44.0%).
They finished 23rd in rushing yards (1,841 ) with 15 touchdowns and
seven runs gaining 20 yards or more. The Vikings averaged 24.1 carries
per game despite having success in yards per rush (4.5).
Minnesota had the third -worst passing attack (3,208 yards). Their
quarterbacks threw more interceptions (21) than touchdown passes
(18). They completed only 61.6% of their passes while gaining 6.6 yards
per pass attempt.
Quarterbacks

QB J.J. McCarthy, MIN

J.J. McCarthy projects for 210 passing yards, 1.4 passing TDs, and 1 INTs, with 56 rushing yards and 1 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Minnesota Vikings. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

QB Kyle Murray, MIN

Kyle Murray projects for 4091 passing yards, 27 passing TDs, and 10 INTs, with 441 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Minnesota Vikings. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

RB Jordan Mason, MIN

Jordan Mason projects for 153 carries for 641 yards and 5 TDs, plus 5 catches for 33 yards and 0 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Demond Claiborne, MIN

Demond Claiborne projects for 51 carries for 219 yards and 1 TDs, plus 25 catches for 191 yards and 1 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Zavier Scott, MIN

Zavier Scott projects for 9 carries for 35 yards and 0 TDs, plus 2 catches for 14 yards and 0 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Justin Jefferson, MIN

Justin Jefferson projects for 1 carries for 1305 yards and 0 TDs, plus 95 catches for 1305 yards and 8 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Jordan Addison, MIN

Jordan Addison projects for 3 carries for 871 yards and 0 TDs, plus 68 catches for 871 yards and 6 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Jauan Jennings, MIN

Jauan Jennings projects for 56 catches for 722 yards and 5 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Tai Felton, MIN

Tai Felton projects for 1 carries for 50 yards and 0 TDs, plus 5 catches for 50 yards and 0 TDs in the Minnesota Vikings offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.