The Index · Live

Justin Jefferson Minnesota Vikings · #18

Wide Receiver · 6' 1", 195 lbs · Saint Rose, LA · Age 27

Justin Jefferson is a Wide Receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, drafted 22nd overall, 2020. In 2026 he caught 13 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Wide ReceiverDrafted 22nd overall7-yr veteran
⚖ Quick compare
J
Justin Jefferson
⬢ Rare
Minnesota Vikings · #18 · Wide Receiver
Justin Jefferson
Season avg13 rec · 179 yds · 2 td
Career avg592 rec · 8,659 yds · 44 td
Live win probabilitySeason
No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.
Tonight's projectionmodel
13rec
179yds
2td
LADDER#68 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXJustin Jefferson · Minnesota VikingsLADDER#68 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXJustin Jefferson · Minnesota Vikings
Scouting report

Justin Jefferson — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

A-
Wide Receiver · Rotation piece · Impact 50
Justin Jefferson is a Wide Receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, drafted 22nd overall, 2020. In 2026 he caught 13 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns.
A
Receiving
B
Big-play
A+
Scoring
A
Receiving yards
Elite · offense
tap for the data ↓
A
Volume
Elite · offense
tap for the data ↓
B
Big-play
Strong · offense
tap for the data ↓
A+
Scoring
Elite · offense
tap for the data ↓
B+
Target share
Excellent · offense
tap for the data ↓
Act II

Where Justin Jefferson stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
1
Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬
29%
2
Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬
23%
3
Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬
22%
4
Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬
11%
5
Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬
9%
✦ Balladex Consensus: #43 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.
Futures & chases
—MVP odds
50Impact index
647Star score
Career scoring average0.0 ppg
Seasons in the index0
Accolades on file0
Stat explorer

Justin Jefferson — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

A+
Receiving
179 YDS
drill in ↓
A+
Volume
13 REC
drill in ↓
B
Big-play
13.8 Y/R
drill in ↓
A+
Scoring
2 TD
drill in ↓
The engine

How the model sees Justin Jefferson

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2027  modeled
52
rec
16–88
694
rec yds
153–1236
3
td
0–7
81
targets
26–136
10
games
4–16
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 7-season history below.
What moves the rec line vs last season
Last season 13 → projected 52 rec
Baseline (recency-weighted)
+38.7
Age curve
+0.0
Net vs last season+38.7 rec
Everything it reads
📊
7 seasons of real box production
every game line, verified
real
⚖
Recency × games weight
recent, healthy years anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Year-over-year trend
his own trajectory, season to season
+dev
🕰
Position aging curve
age 27 — applied to the projection
curve
🏈
Role & usage context
target / carry share and snaps fold in
+ctx
🏥
Availability signal
games last 3: 17 / 17 / 3
health
The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Justin Jefferson career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
SeasonGRecYdsTDTgtY/R
202016881,400712515.9
2021171081,6161016715.0
2022171281,809818414.1
202310681,074510015.8
2024171031,5331015414.9
202517841,048214112.5
2026 in progress · 3 games31317921713.8
Career975928,65944888
Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.
Context

Are the Minnesota Vikings built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

11–6proj record
90off index
76def index
+32net
80%playoff odds
63roster
Roster delta · what changed
Offense grades A (90), defense B- (76) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 84, pass rush 53, coverage 99.
How his role moves
Projected 11–6 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
50 of 99
Rotation piece tier.
Rarity
◆ Rare
Rank #94 of 2316 in NFL.
Résumé
0 accolades
Career honors on file.
Act IV

The Ballad of Justin Jefferson

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

1999-06-16

The beginning

Justin Jefferson is a Wide Receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, in his 7th NFL season.

Minnesota Vikings

Turning pro

Drafted 22nd overall, 2020 as a Wide Receiver.

true

Justin Jefferson is a Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, drafted 22nd overall, 2020.

Chapter

Across 7 seasons (2020–2026) he has caught 592 passes for 8,659 yards and 44 touchdowns.

Chapter

Most recently he caught 13 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2026.

Off the field

Measurables
Active
Height
6' 1"
Weight
195 lbs
Draft
22nd overall, 2020
Born
Saint Rose, LA
Age
27
Jersey
#18
Background

Justin Jefferson is from Saint Rose, LA and is 27 years old. He was drafted 22nd overall, 2020 and plays wide receiver at 6' 1", 195 lbs.

Over 7 seasons (2020–2026) he has caught 592 passes for 8,659 yards and 44 touchdowns. Jefferson is currently on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

The person

Justin Jefferson is a No. 1 receiving option who has caught 592 passes for 8,659 yards and 44 touchdowns across 7 seasons (2020–2026).

Receiving592 career catches, 8,659 yards, 44 touchdowns.
Best season128 catches for 1,809 yards in 2022.
Yards per catch14.6 yards per reception over his career.
First-round pedigree22nd overall, 2020.
Durability97 career games played.
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ

Justin Jefferson — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Justin Jefferson, answered.

What position does Justin Jefferson play?
Justin Jefferson is a Wide Receiver for the Minnesota Vikings.
When was Justin Jefferson drafted?
Justin Jefferson was drafted 22nd overall, 2020.
How many seasons has Justin Jefferson played?
7 (2020–2026).
What are Justin Jefferson's career stats?
He has caught 592 passes for 8,659 yards and 44 touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
✦ Companion
Ask about Justin Jefferson

War Room · Draft

The War Room's draft verdict on Justin Jefferson

AI analyst opinion · grounded in the model below
Model rank
WR16
#41 overall
Proj / game
13.9
Tier 2 · PPR
Draft cost
Rd 4
model draft cost, illustrative
Schedule
49
matchup score 0–100
VALUEat his current draft costThe Historian· All-time context

A perennial WR1 falling to Round 2.

Few receivers of this era sustain his target dominance, and 2025's 84 catches for 1,048 yards came with a fluky 2 touchdowns. The model reads positive regression — WR8 near 15.8 PPG and rising. Getting a player of his standing at a Round 2 cost is where you win the draft.

Projection is a Balladex model estimate, illustrative. The War Room's verdict is argued opinion. Real stats: 2025 season. · Updated Aug 28, 2026

Current role & opportunity

Usage last season · depth chart current · nflverse
Depth chart
WR1
listed starter
Snap share
68%
of offensive snaps
Target share
17%
WOPR 0.43
Listed as the starter (WR1) on the current depth chart

This role & opportunity data feeds the model's competition-aware projection — snap and target share from last season, depth-chart rank from the current roster.

Weekly matchups

Fantasy points allowed by position · 2026 schedule · Balladex
Next matchup
vs GB
Week 1 · Neutral
Season outlook
49
avg matchup score (0–100)
Smash / Tough
5 / 8
weeks favorable / tough
Playoff weeks
72
Wk 15–17 outlook
W1 vs GBW2 @ CHIW3 @ TBW4 vs MIAW5 @ NOW6 · BYEW7 vs INDW8 @ DETW9 vs BUFW10 @ GBW11 @ SFW12 vs ATLW13 vs CARW14 @ NEW15 vs DETW16 vs WASW17 @ NYJW18 vs CHI

Each week grades Justin Jefferson's opponent by the fantasy points that defense allowed to his position (2025), tiered Smash → Avoid. A transparent Balladex model estimate; see the full weekly matchups grid.

Injury history

Weekly injury reports · nflverse
Injury episodes
6
since 2021
Games missed
1
listed Out
Lower-body
5
ankle / knee / soft-tissue
Concussions
0
head, reported
Most recent reports
2026 Wk4 · Ankle (Out)2024 Wk3 · Quadricep2023 Wk15 · Chest (Questionable)2023 Wk14 · Hamstring2023 Wk12 · Hamstring (Questionable)2023 Wk11 · Hamstring (Questionable)

Home surface: sportturf (artificial turf). Artificial turf is associated with higher rates of non-contact lower-body injuries — ankle, foot and knee — in NFL studies. It is not linked to concussion risk, which is contact-driven.

Real weekly injury-report history (game-status designations, most recent 5 seasons). Rest days and load-management designations are excluded.

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Justin Jefferson head-to-head

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Other Wide Receivers to compare

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