Team Previews - Minnesota Vikings

Projected Starting Lineup QB: Kirk Cousins RB: Dalvin Cook WR: Adam Thielen WR: Stefon Diggs WR: Kendall Wright

TE: Kyle Rudolph

LT: Riley Reiff LG: Nick Easton C: Pat Elflein RG: Mike Remmers RT: Rashod Hill

Vikings Offensive Profile Under Mike Zimmer 2014-2017 Pass Attempts Rank: 22nd, 32nd, 12th, 21st 2014-2017 Rush Attempts Rank: 18th, 4th, 25th, 2nd 2014-2017 Play Volume Rank: 28th, 28th, 23rd, 7th 2014-2017 Yards Per Play Rank: 26th, 25th, 28th, 13th Unaccounted for Air Yards from 2017 (Rank): 336 (30th) Unaccounted for Carries from 2017 (Rank): 195 (9th)

Quarterback-

Kirk Cousins finally got his wish as he hit the open market this off-season. Cousins decided to sign with the Minnesota Vikings inking him $84 million dollars over three years. Cousins has been a great fantasy player having ranked in the top-12 in each of the last three seasons. Cousins joins the Vikings as does new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo who tutored Carson Wentz the last two seasons. Over the last three seasons, Cousins has averaged 7.8 yards per attempt which ranks fourth in the NFL while he is ninth in touchdown passes (81). He will have an upgraded core of talent compared to his years in Washington as Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are two of the elite young receivers in the league. They also have one of the best young running backs in Dalvin Cook, who is coming off of a torn ACL early last season. The most important player for Cousins might be Kyle Rudolph though as Cousins has thrown 482 times to tight ends or 24.5% of his throws which is the 5th highest percentage in the league. The downside for those in fantasy, the Vikings defense is one of the best in the league. Mike Zimmer is one of the best coordinators in the game and they return a ton of talent on a defense that ranked 1st last season. Unlike his years in Washington, Cousins will not be slinging the rock from behind, which should hurt his volume this season. I currently have him as the 10th best fantasy quarterback this season. He should be extremely efficient and has a chance to make another Super Bowl run for the Viking faithful.

Wide Receiver-

Stefon Diggs went off in three of the four games to start the season 7-93-2, 8-173-2, 5-98-0. The former five-star Good Counsel receiver looks to stay healthy for the first time in a longtime. The talent is there, he simply must stay healthy if he wants to become one of the top-12 receivers in the league. In 27 games, Diggs has 148 catches on 206 targets (71.8%) for 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns. While Cousins loves tight-ends he also typically locks onto one receiver and if the pre-season was any indication, Diggs is that guy. I am expecting the standard 14 games out of Diggs but he should see north of 115 targets for the first time in his career making him a top-15 WR this season with top-12 upside.

Adam Thielen went off last year with Keenum as his quarterback. Seeing 143 targets Thielen caught 91 for 1,276 and 4 touchdowns. Thielen is one of the best route runners and slot receivers in the game which is a far cry from him coming out un-drafted from Minnesota State.

With a current ADP of 31 and lack of playmaking ability in the red-zone limiting his touchdown upside, I will not have many shares of Thielen this season. I do still love him as a player though and think he stays very involved in the offense which should be fantastic.

The other receivers that will not provide much fantasy value this season will be former first round pick Laquon Treadwell and Kendall Wright. I think they keep Thielen in the slot on the majority of plays which makes Treadwell the more likely candidate to see significant targets as Wright is a slot receiver. Tight End-

Kyle Rudolph looks to take advantage of Cousins 24.5% of targets to tight ends this season. As you saw above in my QB preview, Cousins targets his tight-ends often which should mean an increased in volume for Rudolph this season. With Rudolph the red-zone reindeer seeing the majority of red-zone targets in the middle of the field, Thielen's touchdown upside remains low. With 15 touchdowns in the past two seasons, I would be surprised if Rudolph didn't top 8 scores this season, I am targeting Rudolph as my TE1 in the 7th and 8th round. Running Back- The Vikings get back one of the best young backs in Dalvin Cook, as he is full go from a torn ACL early last season. Cook was on pace for roughly 300 carries last season as he had 74 carries in just four games. The Vikings should be implementing a ball control offense that will be centered around Cook and Latavius Murray as they will be running out the clock in a lot of games this season. The biggest concern for this Vikings team is the offensive front as they're one of the weaker offensive line groups in the league. I expect Cook to get a full workload of roughly 18 touches a game and should flourish in the passing game with the departure of Jerrick McKinnon. I am concerned with how heavy of a workload that they give Cook early as he is less than 11 months from a torn ACL as they can turn to a very capable backup in Murray. I have Cook as my 12th best RB this year and wouldn't mind taking him in the second round if those elite receivers are gone.

Latavius Murray is coming off of his second best season as a pro rushing for 842 yards on 216 carries adding 8 touchdowns. With Cook coming off of his torn ACL, I would imagine Zimmer gets Murray more involved early in the season to help carry the load for this Vikings team. If you draft Cook, you should do everything you can to handcuff Murray as Latavius is going un-drafted in a lot of leagues but can be a quality starter should Cook go down again. 2018 Vegas Win Total- The Vikings’ Win Total opened at 10 after last year’s 13-3 finish. The Vikings have rattled off 11 or more wins in two of the past three seasons and return the majority of there team that made it to the NFC Championship. They will have to face the NFC West and awful AFC East but will have to contend in one of the toughest divisions in football. If Cousins can make the quick transition into a new offense, the sky is the limit for this squad. With most of the players returning from the #1 defense in the league and the addition of Kirk Cousins, I do not know how you don't bet over the 10 wins. This team should be a force in the playoffs as they look to avenge last years humiliating playoff loss, grab a Vikings Super Bowl ticket while you're at it.