Former LSU star wide receiver Justin Jefferson will be forced to sit out Sunday afternoon’s game against the Miami Dolphins with an ankle injury.
The Minnesota Vikings will be minus one of their biggest weapons for the Week 4 matchup with Miami as they try to keep their stellar early season run going and stay unbeaten. The Vikings are 3-0 but to get to 4-0 they’ll have to beat the winless Dolphins without Jefferson, who suffered that ankle injury during last week’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jefferson did not practice all week in the aftermath of the Buccaneers game last Sunday. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell announced during his session with reporters on Friday that Jefferson would be forced to miss the Miami game, which kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Vikings will be at home on Sunday against the Dolphins as they aim to stay perfect in 2026, but they’ll have to do it without the player who has developed into being Minnesota’s No. 1 receiver. Jefferson leads the Vikings this season with 13 catches, 179 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns.
Minnesota has been one of the best stories so far of the 2026 season, but Jefferson’s absence on Sunday will provide some unwanted adversity for the Vikings. Jefferson, who starred at LSU from 2017-19 and helped the Tigers capture the national championship in 2019, has been with the Vikings since they made him the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jefferson has rewarded Minnesota for drafting him, making 4 Pro Bowl appearances as well as being a 2-time first-team All-Pro and a 2-time second-team All-Pro.
On Sunday though, Jefferson won’t be out there to catch those big passes for the Vikings.
Jefferson won’t be the only player that Minnesota will be missing on Sunday. Cornerback Charles Demmings (hamstring) and punter Brett Thorson (right hamstring) were also ruled out on Friday.
O’Connell announced that Johnny Hekker would be promoted from the practice squad to be the punter in Sunday’s game.
The Vikings will try to stay unbeaten without Jefferson on Sunday, and Minnesota also has its eyes set on an NFC North title later this season. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Vikings’ chances to capture the division crown when the dust settles on the 2026 regular season:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
