Minnesota VikingsOur read
Written Sun 12:01 am Central, for week 6
Josh Oliver won't play in week 6 of 2026, and not because of the bye: the Vikings are off this week, but he sits on injured reserve on Sunday's report, so week 7 at home against Indianapolis is his next shot. Even then he's second behind T.J. Hockenson on the depth chart, and his 2.5 PPR points a game over three weeks with zero touchdowns tells you the role is thin. He's a stash at best on a deep bench. Everyone else in a Minnesota uniform gets the week off, so find a fill-in for this week.
Written Oct 17, from his facts through last season
The IR designation is the whole decision. He has been on it since before week 4 of 2026, after three played weeks that produced 2.5 points a game, five targets and no scores, including a zero in week 3 of 2026. The board ranks him below every available tight end while he sits there, so he is costing you a roster spot that could hold anyone who actually plays.
Even healthy, the case was thin. He went second among MIN tight ends behind Hockenson, and last season Jefferson and Addison took half the targets between them. Oliver's own 2025 numbers were 160 yards and 15 touches over 12 games, with an average depth of target of 3.4 yards, meaning his living was short catches near the goal line. That profile leans on touchdowns, and history is unkind to it: players in his spot after an outsized touchdown share dropped 0.7 points a game the following season on average. The goal-line work was real but small, six red-zone touches in 2025, TE40 among 126 qualifying tight ends, and only two touches inside the ten. Three straight seasons in the 50s in total points, and one week over 15 points in all of 2025, tell you the ceiling too. Last season he also sat out three weeks while healthy, so even when cleared he may not dress.
We had him for 57 points all season, about 4.1 a game, and he was under that pace before the injury. Our board has him TE59, which is nowhere in a league that starts one or two tight ends. Drop him, and if a desperate manager in your league still rosters him, you know who to call when you need a slot.