Justin Jefferson – My health is more important than fantasy football

Justin Jefferson said Tuesday he will return when he is fully healthy, and fantasy football owners flooding his direct messages with pleas for him to play won’t speed up the process.

“My health is more important than you winning your fantasy games” he wrote about. “It doesn’t matter how many times you flood my text messages talking about selling your team. I don’t care.”

Jefferson has been sidelined on injured reserve since suffering a right hamstring injury in Week 5. He and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said that they wouldn’t come back until he was 100%.

O’Connell said Monday that the Vikings will continue to ramp up Jefferson’s recovery this week, but that the team may keep him out for Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears to take advantage of the week of leave to follow.

The Vikings opened his 21-day practice window on Nov. 8, as soon as he was eligible, but the timing of their leave could end up giving him a total of eight weeks off if he doesn’t return before their game from December 10 at the club. Las Vegas Raiders.

“We’re about six weeks in. He’s really attacked his rehab, and I think when that time comes, we’ll feel comfortable with Justin being there. I know Justin will too. He’s the one of those. things that knowing you have the bye, and knowing there are five critical (games) coming up after that bye, we have to be smart,” O’Connell said Monday.

“He’s a player that means a lot to our organization, both for this final stretch, to try to solidify our playoff positioning and to try to compete in the division as much as possible, but Justin means much more than just these five or six games, as critical as they are. His long-term career here is the priority.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.