One of the better stories of this young NFL season has been the early success of the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have gotten off to a 3-0 start in large part thanks to Brian Flores's aggressive, relentless, blitzing defense
and some timely playmaking from folks on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they'll have to continue their success on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins without arguably their best player, Justin Jefferson.The perennial All-Pro playmaker sprained his ankle in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. While the Vikings thankfully don't seem to believe that Jefferson's injury is serious or of the long-term variety, it is still enough to hold him out of Week 4. An already thin Vikings receiving
corps must now try to thrive without its most important player.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is out Sunday due to his sprained ankle.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 2, 2026
If there's any consolation for the Vikings, they might not necessarily need Jefferson against the Dolphins. Miami has just the 19th-ranked defense through three games. That's obviously not the worst in the NFL, but it is certainly exploitable by a well-coached offense. The Vikings with Kevin O'Connell fit that criteria. Winning in convincing fashion without Jefferson would also be a great confidence booster for Minnesota.
Who is Justin Jefferson's backup on the Vikings?
Tai Felton is listed as Jefferson's backup on the Vikings' official depth chart. Felton is in his second NFL season after getting drafted by the Vikings in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When is Justin Jefferson coming back to the Vikings?
