Jauan Jennings Could Be a Vikings Lost Cause If He Doesn't Capitalize on Justin Jefferson's Absence

On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings announced that superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson will sit out Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins while he recovers from an ankle injury sustained against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.

In his absence, other pass catchers will need to step up. Jordan Addison rose to the occasion last week to help the Vikings remain undefeated this season, but he will need help in Week 4 from someone like Jauan Jennings to keep the streak alive.

So far this season, Jennings has been a massive disappointment. He signed a one-year deal worth eight million dollars to play for Minnesota but has not offered much in terms of a return on investment in three weeks.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings might be a lost cause if he can't contribute against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4

Jennings missed the Vikings' game in Week 2 for personal reasons, but played 78 snaps for Minnesota in the other two games. He turned those opportunities into one catch on three targets for one yard. One of those targets was an interception, which led to a passer rating of 2.8 when throwing the ball his way this season.

The potential is there for Jennings to be a major weapon for the Purple and Gold. Last year with the San Francisco 49ers, He led all wide receivers on his team in targets (90), receptions (55), and receiving yards (643), while leading the team in receiving touchdowns (9) and tying for most receptions of 20 yards or more (9).

With Jefferson out of the lineup, Addison will slide into the WR1 role with Jennings acting as the WR2. The 29-year-old receiver will have an opportunity to play more offensive snaps on Sunday, and he needs to turn that workload into a contribution for the offense.

Jennings is trending dangerously close to being a free-agent signing bust. He still has time to turn his season around, but there may not be a better opportunity for him to get back on track than against the 0-3 Dolphins this weekend.

The bad news for Minnesota is that if Jennings can't provide value on offense, the Vikings' WR4 hasn't been able to do anything offensively. Benching Jennings for Tai Felton wouldn't make sense since Felton hasn't caught a pass all season after being targeted twice on 35 offensive snaps.

The Vikings need to find a wide receiver to take pressure off Addison on Sunday. If that doesn't happen, it might be time to consider Jennings a lost cause.

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