Justin Jefferson became Minnesota's No. 1 receiving threat and saw double-digit targets (13) for the third time this season. And he had his second multi-touchdown day, with seven catches for 70 yards and two scores.

Related players: Adam Thielen

Of course Thielen is out of the lineup and on the COVID list, but Jefferson is showing he can step in. The story said Jefferson's longest reception of the day was 18 yards, a departure from the deep shots off play-action that usually come his way. The added attention is something Jefferson has been anticipating for weeks, working to perfect different releases and footwork to keep defenses guessing. Recently, we had a story about how teams are beginning to treat Jefferson as the Vikings WR1. With Thielen out of the lineup, Jefferson is showing he can deal with that kind of role and attention from defenses.

The Vikings placed WR Adam Thielen on the COVID list.

Related players: Justin Jefferson, Chad Beebe, Olabisi Johnson

It's not clear whether or not Thielen tested positive or if he was in close contact with someone who did. Thielen will now have to test negative for the virus throughout the week in order to have a chance at playing in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. It's a potential huge loss for the Vikings. Jefferson would run as the team's WR1 with Beebe and Johnson moving up the depth chart.

Before Sunday’s game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur raised some eyebrows with his praise for Vikings rookie receiver Justin Jefferson, saying: “This guy is going to be a legitimate No. 1 receiver in this league if he isn’t already.”

Well, LaFleur backed up those comments by being the first coach to treat Jefferson as a legitimate No. 1 receiver even on a team with Thielen. When both receivers were outside, the Packers sent their top cornerback Jaire Alexander to shadow Jefferson, not Thielen.

The story concluded it's going to be a fun matchup to watch in the coming years. Alexander is 23 and already one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Jefferson is 21 and already getting treated as a No. 1 receiver seven games into his NFL career. On Sunday, Jefferson caught only three passes for 26 yards, though it’s worth noting that it was a windy day and Cousins threw only nine passes to wide receivers.

Kirk Cousins has now targeted Adam Thielen or Justin Jefferson with 51 of his 100 passes this season, and even as Stefon Diggs thrives with a 4-0 Bills team, Jefferson is quickly showing he can join Thielen as the kind of downfield option Cousins enjoyed with Diggs. Jefferson is tied for the league lead with eight catches of 20 yards or more.

The story is about how Cousins is starting to trust Jefferson. This was a situation every QB and rookie WR were faced with after COVID-19 changed training camps and eliminated preseason games. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Cousins and Jefferson would get on the same page, and after back-to-back 100-yard games for Jefferson, the duo seems to be on their way.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin spoke to teammates of WR Justin Jefferson about his breakout game in Week 3. In the piece, QB Kirk Cousins discussed how Jefferson earned his trust on contested throws and throws into tight windows. "There were obviously a lot of shorter throws, quick-gain throws, intermediate catches that he brought in that were not easy catches," Cousins said. "Or he made an intermediate catch and was able to turn up the sideline and run with the football for another big chunk of yards."

"It was a combination of different types of plays. He was just a consistent contributor on Sunday, and that's great to see. It's great to see the talent that he brought to the offense and that it certainly wasn't too big for him. We will try to build on that as best we can as we move forward here."

Jefferson has usurped Olabisi Johnson on the depth chart and should continue to see looks Sunday against the Houston Texans, especially if Adam Thielen is covered by CB Bradley Roby for majority of the game. Jefferson is a locked-in WR3 as long as Kirk Cousins is not throwing away games.

Sunday's glimpse at the offense without Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Bills in the offseason, showed the Vikings still need to find an electric deep ball player. Diggs was often the receiver clearing out for Adam Thielen or catching the ball over the top on deep post or go-routes off play-action. That player could very well become rookie Justin Jefferson, who has 4.43 speed. But in Jefferson's debut, the first-round receiver had two catches for 26 yards in 36 snaps. The only receiver to come close to Thielen's total was No. 2 Bisi Johnson, who had three catches for 56 yards.

Thielen had a great game without Diggs, going over 100 yards and adding two TDs in the process. But it looks like the Vikings will need another WR to step up at some point soon this season. As the story said, the Vikings offense needs time to get into a rhythm. Last season, the Vikings were 8-0 when they had at least 30 minutes in time of possession, but 2-6 in games when they had less than that, according to ESPN.

According to The Athletic, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been running with the second team offense in practice.

Justin Jefferson is expected to have one of the best fantasy seasons of the rookie receivers to enter the league this year, but this a welcomed reminder that the lack of a normal offseason could cause some trendy rookies to have to win starting jobs during the first few games of the season as opposed to having the job won by Week 1. A rookie receiver taking snaps behind veterans like Olabisi Johnson, Tajae Sharpe, and Chad Beebe is not unexpected at the start of camp, but if he is unable to pass them by the end of camp we may have a true taking point. Our 56th ranked receiver for the 2020 season, Jefferson is in the mix to take over the slot role for the Minnesota Vikings.

Rookie WR Justin Jefferson is “exactly what we drafted,” Gary Kubiak said.

The Vikings have him with twos for now, in all spots, the tweet went on to say. Kubiak added that Jefferson has been very knowledgeable when it comes to routes, which is a good, early sign for a rookie WR. Jefferson is ranked 54th on our WR list and is available later in drafts.

The Vikings activated Justin Jefferson (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Jefferson spent roughly one week on the COVID list after either testing positive for the virus or having contact with someone who did before reporting to the Vikings. With the situation behind him, the rookie first-rounder can focus on locking down the No. 2 wide receiver spot behind veteran Adam Thielen.