Earlier this season, KJ Osborn was one of the hot waiver wire commodities after posting WR34 and WR14 weeks to begin the season. Since those two impressive performances, Osborn has posted just two WR24 or better outputs. But, the bright side is one came this past weekend following Adam Thielen’s exit with a high ankle sprain.
The second-year wide receiver out of Miami didn’t see a single target during his rookie campaign. However, Osborn has been impressive when targeted this year, posting 35 receptions, 412 yards, and three touchdowns as the Vikings’ third wide receiver.
Osborn will look to fill in for Thielen, who leaves behind a 22.9 percent target share and 14 red-zone targets. Osborn should see an immediate uptick in snap percentage, targets, red zone targets, and an increase in average depth of target (ADOT). While Osborn will get a boost, Dede Westbrook is expected to fill in for 11 personnel packages. Tight end Tyler Conklin and stud WR Justin Jefferson should also see an increase in targets, as well.
One thing I’ve learned this fantasy season is to chase opportunity, not last week’s production. Players like Tee Higgins who weren’t performing early on in the season but posted a 20-plus percent target share are now winning fantasy managers weeks with dominant 20-plus fantasy point games. Osborn is in an ideal situation to see increased opportunities for a team that has performed well on offense all year long (props to Kirk Cousins).
“You do appreciate having a K.J. Osborn when Adam goes down,” Cousins said. “You always know it’s a play away, but when it happens and you know you have somebody who can answer the call, it’s a great sense of comfort at my position.”
Osborn and the Vikings get the Steelers on a short week after a big win, and despite their impressive performance against Lamar Jackson on Sunday, they have underperformed on defense all season. Osborn will most likely see man coverage from Justin Layne or Akhello Witherspoon who rank in the bottom half of PFF graded cornerbacks this season. Osborn can be locked into any lineup this week as a WR3/Flex play if he’s still available in your league.
Osborn currently sits at 34 on The Wolf’s Rest of Season Rankings and could see a bump following a potential breakout performance against the Steelers tonight.
