Fantasy Site Calls One Viking a “Bust” in the Making
The fantasy football community is leaning heavily into analyzing the 2024 season, with Week 1 just 61 days away.
Fantasy Site Calls One Viking a “Bust” in the Making
And left up to its diagnosis, Jordan Addison is in for a sophomore slump this year, at least according to some. The Vikings drafted Jordan Addison 14 months ago, and he promptly fired off a memorable rookie season by establishing instant credibility as a transferrable college-to-pro receiver in the NFL. Addison banked 70 receptions, 911 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns in 2023.
However, per FootballGuys.com, the production will not be replicated in 2024, mainly because Kirk Cousins left town. The former Vikings quarterback now plays for the Atlanta Falcons, and Addison will receive passes from Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy in 2024 — probably Darnold to start the season.
FBG voted on all Vikings players with bust potential, and Addison received the unfortunate designation per five analysts at that site. “I don’t dislike Addison, but his TD-heavy rookie season has him overdrafted. His volume wasn’t great (nine weeks with six or fewer targets) as a big-play No. 2 in the Will Fuller mold. The slender Addison tested below-average pre-draft, and we’ve likely already seen his touchdown peak,” Justin Howe wrote.
Another voter, Hutchinson Brown, opined, “His touchdown production last season was completely unsustainable, and now, with Justin Jefferson and, at some point, TJ Hockenson back healthy, Addison becomes an easy fade with a rookie quarterback in play. I don’t see a second-year breakout for the young player.”
Addison found his peak form in 2024 with Cousins in the starting lineup, failing to establish chemistry with Joshua Dobbs and Jaren Hall after Cousins’ season-ending injury. Yet, when Nick Mullens saw action — Minnesota had an honest-to-goodness quarterback carousel in 2024 — Addison thrived.
More FBG fantasy personalities piled on. Jeff Bell added, “Not to be the ‘if you take away the big plays’ guy, but if you take away the big plays, Addison had a pedestrian rookie season. His ADP is modest at WR40, but he lines up as the biggest loser with Kirk Cousins leaving and the pressure to justify a big contract to Jefferson.”
And Corey Spala concluded, “Addison may not sustain the 10-touchdown rookie season production in year two. I do not see how a rookie quarterback or Sam Darnold will replicate what Kirk Cousins did for Minnesota’s offense.”
Via Vikings.com in June, Addison personally said he’s focused on winning at the line of scrimmage in 2024. “That’s been a main focus for me, and I feel like it’s been paying off. My work is showing out there. Having a plan once I get to the line, being decisive and just really making sure I’m locked into my release.”
“Last year, I wasn’t as confident in my releases. I wasn’t being decisive. I didn’t have a plan when I was coming up to the line; I was kind of just freelancing, trying to do what I could do. Make something work. But now, like I said, it’s my focus,” Addison added.
Others, folks not necessarily immersed in the fantasy football discussion, have praised Addison this offseason. SI.com’s Albert Breer analyzed several teams following minicamps last month, and the Vikings were spotlighted. He was high on Addison and noted, “Jordan Addison’s growth has created buzz in the Vikings’ facility. With Jefferson away for most of the offseason program, Addison’s progress really showed up — he came back physically stronger in April while maintaining the burst and body control that made him a first-round pick in 2023.”
“Now, if Minnesota can get Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy rolling (and don’t sleep on Darnold, who seems to have built on what he learned playing for Kyle Shanahan last year), then the Vikings really might have a little bit more than most people think,” Breer concluded about Minnesota’s offensive trajectory.
On the whole, the pro- and anti-Addison factions basically agree that his 2024 output depends on quarterback performance. It’s also worth noting that the aforementioned Hockenson will likely miss the start of the season while recovering from a torn ACL, which should spike Addison’s target load.
The sweet part about Addison? He just turned 22 in January.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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