Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Aims to Play in Week 5

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a solid 4-0 start and are hoping to extend that streak to 5-0 as they take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. If the Vikings are to get to 5-0, the offense must perform better, and a major part of that will be whether or not wide receiver Justin Jefferson can play this week.

On that note, there is optimism that Jefferson will play this week. Per Vikings and pro football reporter at ESPN Kevin Seifert, Jefferson said, "The plan is for me to play. But who knows? We're going to take it day by day."

This is some great news for the Vikings to potentially have Jefferson back this week to hopefully bring some juice to this offense. Jefferson was injured in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and without him in the lineup, the passing offense has been up and down.

Now, as Jefferson said, the plan is for him to play, meaning that he is not guaranteed to play, but based on his statement, it definitely sounds like he is trending in the right direction.

In the Vikings' initial injury report for Week 5, Jefferson was listed as limited in practice, but regardless, he was able to return to practice, which is a good sign and will be worth monitoring if he can become a full participant in practice as the week progresses.

For the season, Jefferson has totaled 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 17 targets while playing in three games. Those are decent numbers, but with the talent and ability that Jefferson has, if Jefferson can return in Week 5 and get on the same page as quarterback Kyler Murray in the passing game, Jefferson is more than capable of having that kind of production in one game.

In addition to Jefferson, the Vikings also have fellow wide receivers Jordan Addison and Juan Jennings on the perimeter. So far this season, Addison has been reliable for Minnesota, but on the other hand, Jennings really has not been able to contribute a lot.

Additionally, the Vikings have tight end T.J. Hockenson, who had a great performance on Sunday and seems to be establishing a solid connection with Murray, which could be huge for this offense moving forward.

With that said, the Vikings did make a very interesting signing as they signed veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the practice squad and will very likely elevate him to the active roster to give Murray another weapon on the perimeter, but also take some attention off Jefferson and Addison.

So, as the Vikings head into this Week 5 matchup against the Saints, it will be interesting to see if Jefferson can play and if Beckham is elevated from the practice squad, because if they can both play and Minnesota can rely on Addison and Hockenson as well, Murray and this passing attack could be in a position to have their best performance yet, which could help this team to win once again and start 5-0.