3 underrated Vikings sleepers who could break out in 2026 NFL season

The pressure will be on Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell right from the start of training camp. He has earned a reputation as one of the top offensive coaches in football, and he has a special gift of working with quarterbacks.

He is starting his fifth year as the Vikings head coach, but it is also his first under new Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley. After working the previous four years with former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, he has to show that he is the right man to serve as the team’s field boss.

It won’t be easy. O’Connell has led the Vikings to two playoff appearances in his four years, but they were bounced out of the playoffs in the postseason after brilliant seasons in 2022 and 2024. The Vikings were not playoff contenders in 2023 and 2025. A bounce-back season that includes a postseason win may be needed for O’Connell to maintain his position.

The most critical decision that O’Connell has to make this season is his starting quarterback. O’Connell has said that newcomer Kyler Murray and third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy would battle for the starting position. Insiders suggest that Murray will be the likely winner of the job, but O’Connell has not revealed his hand. He is unlikely to do it until both quarterbacks have a chance to show what they can do in the preseason.

Murray should emerge with the starting QB position, and he has game-changing receivers

Murray has been a brilliant athlete throughout his career with the Arizona Cardinals, but injuries have slowed him in 2 of the past 3 seasons. If he is healthy, he will find the best group of receivers he has ever had to work with in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings.

Jefferson has been ranked as the top receiver in the NFL in multiple seasons, but that was not the case last years as McCarthy was neither healthy nor consistent, and his receivers could not reach their potential.

Addison has had problems off the field, but he has explosive speed and he is a major deep threat. If the Vikings have their 1-2 punch in the lineup this season, it should provide the Vikings with a big-play offense.

However, Jennings as the team’s No. 3 receiver could be an impact player. The former 49er has had a couple of explosive seasons in 2024 and ’25. He caught 77 passes for 975 yards with 6 touchdowns two years ago, and he was also solid last year with 55-643-9. Jennings is a 6-3, 213-pounder from Tennessee who is entering his sixth season in the NFL.

The Vikings have some decent No. 3 receivers in the past, but Jennings is the real deal. He could step into the No. 2 role on most teams and the No. 1 position on some. He will give O’Connell and Murray options that opposing defenses may not be prepared to contend with.

Jennings has the ability to turn a solid offense into an explosive one in 2026.

TJ Hockenson could have a huge season at tight end

In addition to the three wideouts, the Vikings have an excellent tight end in T.J. Hockenson. He has been slowed by injuries since coming to the Vikings from the Detroit Lions midway through the 2022 season, but he still has enough ability to show that he is a threat.

If Murray can demonstrate that he should be the starting quarterback — meaning he doesn’t lose the job or get injured — the play of No. 3 wideout Jennings and Hockenson could turn the passing game into one of the most versatile units in the league.

Blake Brandel must do the job in the middle of the offensive line

Throughout O’Connell’s tenure as the Vikings head coach, the team has had issues with the performance of its interior offensive line.

The Vikings decided two years ago that center Garrett Bradbury was not good enough to handle elite nose tackles, defensive tackles and inside linebackers. The Vikings need Blake Brandel to show that he can hold his own when the Vikings face top interior defensive linemen.

Brandel has to show that he has mastered the Vikings’ pre-snap operation. This is the case no matter who emerges as the team’s starting quarterback, but it is especially true if Murray is the team’s QB1.

Injuries have hurt the Vikings on the offensive line in the past, but they have the potential to have one of the best and most talented offensive lines with Christian Darrisaw at left tackle and Brian O’Neill at right tackle leading the way.

Guards Will Fries and Donovan Jackson should be solid, but it’s up to Brandel to show he can help the Vikings offensive line reach an elite level.

Jennings, Hockenson and Brandel are the sleepers the Vikings are depending on to help this team have a memorable season.

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