Kirk Cousins trade gives Justin Jefferson, Vikings’ offense a fantasy lifeline
Justin Jefferson back in the circle of trust While this trade keeps the Vikings’ Super Bowl odds alive with an inarguable top-two defense, the real story for us is saving Justin Jefferson.
Key points
- Let’s examine the Minnesota Vikings reuniting with veteran QB Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Kirk Cousins highlights for the timeline pic.twitter.com/B3M08E78E5 — Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) November 10, 2026 Cousins has been so much better than the Vikings’ QBs this year.
- Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins are reunited after playing four seasons together.
Kirk Cousins to the Vikings: We like that First off, great job by the Raiders for signing Cousins this offseason to not just be Fernando Mendoza’s mentor but to also help support him with a 2027 third-round pick.
Additional details
- It’s not an easy offense to execute without high-end receiver play, yet Cousins has been the QB12 in EPA per dropback, QB10 in dropback success rate, QB18 in completion percentage over expected and QB13 in PFF passing grade.
- In four seasons with Kirk Cousins, Jefferson averaged 16.1 half PPR points per game, which would be WR7 this year.
- (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Stephen Maturen via Getty Images Hayden Winks reacts to the 2026 NFL trade deadline through the lens of fantasy football.
- Cousins has had to play under pressure behind that porous Raiders offensive line, and the Klint Kubiak offense stresses deep passes off playaction.
- Murray was the QB31, QB29, QB12 and QB20 in those metrics, and him hanging around as an emergency option while learning from a veteran who has played well in this offense can’t hurt.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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