KJ Osborn start or sit: Week 6 fantasy football advice

With Justin Jefferson on the shelf due to a hamstring injury, the Minnesota Vikings will need superlative performances from the rest of the offensive personnel. That means the receiving corps in particular will have to step up, especially veteran wideout KJ Osborn.

Fantasy Football analysis: Vikings WR KJ Osborn

In terms of role within the Vikings offense, Osborn will fill in for the injured Jefferson as the “X” receiver. That doesn’t mean he will see Jefferson’s target share, however. Rookie Jordan Addison has roughly an identical number of targets (29, three more than Osborn) but offers more upside after the catch. Though both will figure into Minnesota’s plan to account for Jefferson’s absence, Addison will likely have the larger piece of the workload.

Entering Week 6, few teams have proven as generous to wide receivers as the Chicago Bears. Their defense has allowed the eighth most fantasy points to wideouts so far. Jefferson could have delivered a career day against this unit, but the Vikings’ other pass catchers should have chances to produce to a lesser degree.

Start or sit in Week 6 PPR leagues?

Sit. While quarterback Kirk Cousins has targeted Osborn roughly as many times as Addison, the latter has done a much better job with those opportunities. Entering Week 6, Osborn has caught just half of his passes despite having an average depth of target nearly 4 yards shorter than Addison. Even assuming the volume increases, Osborn will probably need to reach the end zone in order to satisfy fantasy managers, and he only did that twice with Jefferson pulling away most of the defense’s attention.

Start or sit in Week 6 standard leagues?

Sit. The touchdown issue looms in standard leagues too. Osborn looks like a lottery ticket rather than a situationally smart fantasy play with Jefferson sitting.

Player(s) you would start ahead of KJ Osborn

DKN NFL Editor Chet Gresham suggests the Los Angeles Chargers’ Joshua Palmer or the Detroit Lions’ Josh Reynolds over Osborn for Week 6. For fantasy managers willing to live with rookie variance, the Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba could also come into play.