After weeks of speculation, veteran quarterback Kyler Murray has officially joined the Minnesota Vikings. It will be framed as a competition with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job for as long as plausible, but we know what the outcome is tracking to be.
Murray missed noticeable time for the Arizona Cardinals in three of the last four seasons. The foot injury that limited him to just five games last season was framed as a "soft benching" in some corners, with Jacoby Brissett playing well. So it was time for a change, especially with a new coaching staff in Arizona, and Murray has landed in the best possible spot for him.
In Minnesota, Murray will find a solid, quarterback-friendly offensive system run by head coach Kevin O'Connell. He will have two top wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, a viable tight end in T.J. Hockenson, and a good running back duo in Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones. If the offensive line can stay healthy, the Vikings should have a very productive offense again.
Kyler Murray firmly back on the fantasy football radar after signing with the Minnesota Vikings
Murray was a top-10 fantasy quarterback in each of his first three seasons (2019-2021; QB7, QB2, and QB10, respectively), and again in 2024 (QB10) when he played all 17 games. By fantasy points per game in two other seasons of his career, among quarterbacks who played at least five games, he was QB7 (2022) and QB9 (2023).
Last season was the outlier, when he was QB20 by fantasy points per game.
Murray has topped 400 rushing yards in all five of his seasons where he has played double-digit games, with at least five rushing scores in three of them. Per 17 games for his career, he has averaged 624 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
As fantasy managers know, rushing production is a notable cheat code for a quarterback. O'Connell also has not had a quarterback like that as the Vikings' head coach.
It will surely change now that he has signed with the Vikings, but Murray currently sits at QB21 in Fantasy Pros' consensus rankings. Some early ADP data (also subject to change, and quickly even at this time of the year) has him in the same range.
Assuming he wins the starting job, and that is the prevailing assumption unless he suffers a serious injury, Murray should have no trouble finishing as a QB1 in fantasy this year.
Time will tell where his ADP settles in once draft season really ramps up, but the upside in relation to that ADP is lined up to be better than any quarterback out there in 2026.