Justin Jefferson injury: Vikings WR to return from hamstring strain, clearing way for Week 1 availability

Justin Jefferson has been on the sideline with a hamstring strain for the last three weeks, but Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday his star wide receiver is set to return to practice this week and will begin ramping up for the season. The injury occurred in the opening days of camp and was initially reported as a mild strain. Jefferson was set to be reevaluated one week after he sustained the tightness, but he ended up missing more time as the ailment lingered.

Jefferson said on Aug. 9 he would be back on the field "real soon." More than a week later, that is about to become a reality.

"You'll see him," O'Connell said ahead of Monday's practice. "He will begin to take part in practice. It'll be kind of a ramp up. You'll see him take part in bits and pieces of it here. But he will officially be back to work and be ramping up from here."

Hamstring issues have been a recurring problem for Jefferson, who missed seven games in 2023. That history led the Vikings to be cautious with him this summer so as to ensure he is at full strength in time for the season opener.

"Just having a little bit of tightness," Jefferson said in July when he first sat out with the issue. "With the past recent injuries and the stuff that I had gone through before, just taking precautions and understanding that it's the second day of camp -- not the 30th. Just making sure that I'm fully healthy and I'm good to go, especially when the season starts."

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The Vikings close their preseason slate Friday against the Titans, and there is no indication whether Jefferson will suit up for the contest. Given his stardom and the risk of reinjury, it would not come as a surprise if Minnesota held him out of action entirely and allowed him instead to ease his way back to game speed in the weeks leading up to Week 1.

If Jefferson stays healthy, he can be expected to turn in another outstanding year. He made the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons with the lone absence coming in 2023 when he missed nearly half the campaign. Jefferson was a first-team All-Pro standout last year for the second time in his already legendary career.

Jefferson's 10 touchdowns last season matched a career high, and he crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth straight time to open his career. The LSU product maintains an NFL record with 96.5 yards per game for his career, and he led the league in 2022 with 128 catches and 1,809 yards. That was his best year to date, and it earned him a nod as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.