Cousins’ return could reignite Minnesota’s passing attack, with Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson poised to benefit
Kirk Cousins is heading back to Minnesota, and if you’re rostering Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison or T.J. Hockenson, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about what this reunion could mean for your Fantasy team. We’ve already seen what Cousins can do with these three pass catchers in Kevin O’Connell’s offense in 2022 and 2023, and the numbers speak for themselves.
Each of these weapons saw at least 6.5 targets per game, with Jefferson obviously commanding 10-plus targets per contest. This offense just threw at a crazy high rate, and I would think that is going to be the case here again.
Now, Kevin O’Connell is going to be able to trust Kirk Cousins and just let him let it rip. The offensive line is good enough to protect Cousins and allow him to connect on time with all three of those weapons.
I am optimistic that all three of these pass catchers will be good to some degree, but Jefferson is obviously the one that Fantasy managers can expect a big increase in production from with Cousins now back in Minnesota. He’s a top-10 receiver the rest of the way. Addison is not a must-start in three-receiver leagues, but Hockenson is a must-start at the tight end position.
As for Cousins himself, I think he is a high-end No. 2 Fantasy QB. There will be some matchups coming up where we will want to start him as a low-end No. 1. Is this week against Green Bay one of those matchups? I don’t know if I’m ready to say that just yet, but it is going to be close. But the big takeaway is that he has value over the remainder of the season, whereas before the clock was ticking on Fernando Mendoza replacing him. That ship has sailed. Cousins is now somebody that you could consider starting almost any week, but just not necessarily a locked-in top-10 quarterback.
