TRENDING NFL trade deadline tracker Colts keep Taylor Vikings trade for Cousins Celtics better minus Brown? NFL Power Rankings Story by Hayden Winks Fantasy Analyst Tue, November 10, 2026 at 9:19 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hayden Winks reacts to the 2026 NFL trade deadline through the lens of fantasy football. Let's examine the Minnesota Vikings reuniting with veteran QB Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
First off, great job by the Raiders for signing Cousins this offseason to not just be Fernando Mendoza's mentor but also to help support him with a 2027 third-round pick. That could easily be an interior lineman in the next draft, something they desperately need. The Raiders will also have eight games to see what they have with Mendoza in a totally different offense than what he had in college. Mendoza will make some big mistakes, but this will be exciting to watch, and the Raiders are 4-5, so these games absolutely count on their end. Well done, Vegas!
Cousins has been so much better than the Vikings' QBs this year. Here's a chart to showcase that:
(Hayden Winks) Cousins has passable arm strength, even if it's his clear weakness on tape. He had a couple of amazing post routes to Tre Tucker this season, but his best throws have been "Make a play, Brock Bowers" balls in traffic. Cousins has had to play under pressure behind that porous Raiders offensive line, and the Klint Kubiak offense stresses deep passes off play-action. 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. I'd call him a slightly above-average starter based on his film, too.
Kyler 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.
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. The career splits are very, very encouraging. In four seasons with Kirk Cousins, Jefferson averaged 16.1 half PPR points per game, which would be WR7 this year. Without Cousins throughout his career, JJ had averaged 12.5 fantasy points (WR16). This year? Oh boy, 11.4 (WR21). It's dangerous to assume an older version of Cousins will get Jefferson back to those mid-range WR1 highs with the Vikings running the ball more now than then, but fringe WR1/2 value is officially back on the menu. I would've treated him as the WR16-22 or so if it was Murray only.
(Hayden Winks) Take Bowers' production as an example. Bowers' success rate on throws sits at 61%, while Jefferson is at 48%. This is partially because of the catchable target rate, which Bowers clears at 73% versus Jefferson's 69%. In terms of catchable targets per game, which is a better metric here because of how many turn-down throws Murray had in this offense, the gap widens. Bowers averaged 7.3 catchable targets per game with Cousins. Jefferson is at 5.1.
I'll be tracking if the Vikings stay so balanced on offense here, too. It's understandable to hide the QB with this defense, but if Kevin O'Connell trusts his QB again, will they throw more often? The Vikings are 25th in neutral pass rate (48%) right now. They were at 57% in 2022-23 with Cousins (fourth).
Does the Cousins upgrade mean Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson are fantasy starters? It's possible!
Addison hasn't played well individually on tape this entire year, aside from a couple of downfield shots. His inability to consistently beat man coverage has meant more hardcore coverage on Jefferson. He's the WR65 on WR49 usage this year. He was the WR12 on WR23 usage in seven games with Cousins back in 2023 but that was also years ago!
Hockenson has been better this year after a couple of seasons of forgettable play coming off a significant injury. Back in 2022-23, Hockenson was at the peak of his powers. He was the TE2, only behind Travis Kelce. He averaged 8.4 targets per game on a 24% target share. Those are numbers that he can only dream of now, but Hockenson's starting point right now is the TE11 on TE9 usage. I'm open to him being a top-eight option moving forward.
(Hayden Winks) What I don't anticipate is Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. separating from each other enough that they are more than desperate RB3/FLEX types. They've split the role since Mason's return, leaving Mason as the RB45 in expected half PPR points and Jones as the RB54. Those numbers will trend up to the 30s, but that's enough to compete in the consolation bracket only.
Exciting times in fantasy football land. Hopefully your Vikings picks can be saved enough to enjoy a fifth- or sixth-seed placement in the playoffs.
Source: Sports
