We are proud to be among the first, if not the first, to publish full projections for the upcoming season, going live just days after the Super Bowl. Publishing detailed projections in early February comes with trade-offs, not the least of which is a near-total lack of clarity on how free agency, cap transactions, and the NFL draft will reshape rosters.
We've been updating our projections in near real time, including during the recent onslaught of free-agent transactions. This version will remain largely stable until we can layer in the April NFL draft, but stable projections don't mean settled debates.
We have a staff of sharp analysts with sharp takes of their own, so I thought it would be worthwhile to solicit their views on the key coin-toss situations that will shape each team's outlook in the coming months. These are important questions where reasonable, informed people can credibly land in very different places. I asked my colleagues to weigh in with one assumption: they were answering strictly through the lens of a standard 0.5-PPR redraft league.
Minnesota Vikings Coin-Toss Questions
- Is Kyler Murray a Fantasy Starter?
- How Will Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason Split Touches?
- Can T.J. Hockenson Be Fantasy-Relevant This Year?
- Will Justin Jefferson Be Elite with Murray at Quarterback?
- Is Jordan Addison a Fantasy Starter?
Where do you rank Kyler Murray this year, assuming he's the Vikings starter for the entire season?
Maurile Tremblay: Murray has a long history of injuries that span an array of ailments. But assuming a full 17 games, I'd slot him somewhere around QB12 to QB14. Justin Jefferson is the best pass-catching talent Murray has played with since DeAndre Hopkins's peak years in Arizona. O'Connell is adapting the offense to incorporate more shotgun, pistol, and offset formations that play to Murray's strengths. Most important for fantasy, Murray's rushing ability gives him a solid weekly floor.
Meng Song: If I knew he were the starter for all 17 games, I'd probably have Murray at QB13 — just behind Patrick Mahomes II and just ahead of Jaxson Dart. Murray has averaged 37 rushing yards per game in his career, which gives him a fairly high floor. We've also seen Kevin O'Connell get great passing production from Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold prior to a disastrous 2025 season full of quarterback injuries and poor play, so Murray has a top-five fantasy quarterback ceiling given his upgrade in play-caller and pass-catching corps.
Andy Hicks: Are we presuming Murray is the starter from Week 1? J.J. McCarthy has been a disappointment to date, but he has room to grow and shouldn't be written off yet. Murray is practically a free rental for the Vikings, given that the Cardinals are still paying his salary. Murray is trying to resurrect his career and jumped at the chance to work with quarterback-friendly Kevin O'Connell. I expect to see a good deal of both McCarthy and Murray this year, but maybe one separates themselves in training camp. I have no confidence in either of them to do that. Neither would be in my top 20 quarterbacks.
Jeff Haseley: If Murray is the starter all year, he's a top-8 QB. His rushing floor is elite, and pairing him with Kevin O'Connell's play-calling and Justin Jefferson could pay big dividends.