The Minnesota Vikings fell short against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, losing 27-19. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy turned the ball over twice and completed just seven of his 23 passes to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he was at least able to feed Jalen Nailor on a consistent basis.
Nailor is rostered in 0.5% of ESPN leagues and 1% of Yahoo leagues, meaning he is almost certainly available on waivers heading into Week 11. Is the 26-year-old wideout worth a claim, especially with injuries and bye weeks continuing to pile up?
Jalen Nailor Fantasy Value
Through 10 weeks, Nailor is WR59 in fantasy. Prior to Week 10, though, he had yet to break into double-digit PPR fantasy points in any game. He averaged 1.8 receptions on 3.8 targets per game between Week 1 and Week 9, totaling 178 yards and a touchdown over those eight games. That made for an average of 4.8 PPR fantasy points per game. He played all 47 of the Vikings’ offensive snaps in Week 2, earning an 89.6% snap share through Week 3. From Week 4 on, however, he has a 62.7% snap share. On the whole this season, Nailor has run 28.1 routes per game.
Nailor reeled in five of six targets against the Ravens in Week 10, going for 124 yards and a touchdown. Even though his 62-yard reception in the first quarter came up 4 yards shy of another touchdown, Nailor still had a career day. Sunday marked the first time Nailor has cleared 100 yards in his four-year NFL career, and his 23.4 PPR fantasy points were a career-high as well.
Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Depth Chart
Nailor is WR3 in the Vikings offense. Jefferson, a perennial All-Pro, is far and away Minnesota’s No. 1 option. Addison was the clear No. 2 in both 2023 and 2024, and he has reclaimed that role after missing the first three games of 2025 serving a suspension. Jefferson is averaging 37.1 routes run, 9.3 targets and 5.7 receptions per game this season, while Addison is 40 averaging routes run, 7.5 targets and 4.3 receptions.
Adam Thielen has also been in the mix, albeit less and less often as the season has gone on. The Vikings traded for Thielen in late August, acquiring him from the Carolina Panthers when Nailor was managing a hand injury in the preseason. The 35-year-old earned a 70.6% snap share Weeks 1 through 3, only to see that number dip to 15.3% in Weeks 4 through 10.
Then there’s tight end T.J. Hockenson, who draws a pretty steady workload himself. The 28-year-old former first round pick has seen the field on 82.0% of offensive snaps this season, running an 32.6 average of routes with 4.6 targets and 3.4 receptions per game. Running backs Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason have combined for 2.4 receptions on 3.3 targets per game, too.
Is Jalen Nailor worth a roster spot?
Nailor simply is not going to suddenly surpass Jefferson or Addison, who have had much more consistent usage rates and stronger organizational commitment. At the same time, J.J. McCarthy seemed to get into a pretty solid rhythm with Nailor on Sunday, which could prove valuable with a young quarterback at the helm. Nailor is also going to be the beneficiary of being a true secondary option, scarfing down leftovers when defenses zero in on shutting down Jefferson, Addison and even Hockenson.
In short, Nailor isn’t on track to be a breakout fantasy league-winner down the stretch. But if you have a vacant roster spot, he has the upside to pop off any given week as an emergency backup. As long as you don’t elevate him to your starting lineup in Week 11, taking a flier couldn’t hurt. Jefferson or Addison could always go down, too, and an injury to either of them could vault Nailor into a far more relevant fantasy role. All three boast an average depth of target between 11.80 and 13.33 yards on the season, making them relatively interchangeable schematically. Just don’t value him over other potential home run waiver adds like Alec Pierce or Tez Johnson, and know that he has a much lower floor than someone like Darius Slayton.
