Fantasy Football 2017 Team Preview: Minnesota Vikings
This is the 2017 fantasy preview of the Minnesota Vikings. In this preview I will provide the Must-Own players, Sleepers, and Longshot players with upside very deep in drafts.
Must-own players are those who should be owned by someone in any league. Handcuff RBs can qualify, as they are often very important to a fantasy team over the full schedule. Sleepers are secondary players that you may find on the waiver wire at some point in the year, or may go undrafted in shallower auction-style leagues. The Longshots are players with microscopic ADP, who are being drafted at the very end of drafts, or more likely not drafted at all.
All ADP data is courtesy of FantasyPros.com.
**I will list all kickers, but I cannot give analysis on them. Sorry :-/
MUST OWNS
Dalvin Cook, RB (ADP: 38): For much of the preseason I’ve been down on Dalvin Cook, not because I doubt his talent, but because of the presence of Latavius Murray. I underestimated how much time Murray would miss this offseason, and I’m now comfortable with drafting Cook and expecting him to start. I am not, however, comfortable with expending a Top 40 pick on him. I’ll be fair and highlight the positives. Cook was a monster at Florida State, posting back-to-back 20-touchdown seasons, rushing for more than 1,500 yards as a sophomore and a junior, and hitting the 1,000-yard mark in all three of his college campaigns.
The fact remains, however, that Murray is back, and he has proven himself a reliable touchdown-scorer at the NFL level. He was also paid this offseason by the Vikings, so Cook is likely to be the more talented, but annoyingly less-productive member of this tag team. Be prepared to be let down if you pull the trigger this early.
Stefon Diggs, WR (ADP: 67): Diggs is a very popular breakout WR pick. I like Diggs, but a breakout seems highly unlikely to me. For PPR leagues, Diggs is real nice. He’s the clear WR1 in Minnesota, and he is a solid bet to eclipse 100 receptions if he plays the whole season. But at 6’1, 195 lbs. Diggs is a slight receiver, and he is catching passes from Sam Bradford, who was bottom in the NFL in yards per attempt. Diggs isn’t a big play guy, and he has very little TD upside. He is a pure WR2 for fantasy purposes, and shaky at WR2 in standard leagues. The ADP is okay, but I like to aim higher.
Kyle Rudolph, TE (ADP: 81): Rudolph is not quite an elite tight end, despite his very high finish in last year’s positional rankings. What he is, however, is a very consistent and useful tight end. I wouldn’t expect a Top 3 finish from Rudolph this year, but I would expect similar production to what he gave us in 2016; those numbers are just more typically back half of the Top 10. In case you didn’t own Rudolph, he put up 83 catches, 840 yards and seven touchdowns. He is a bit touchdown dependent, but that’s fine, since he is the best bet for red zone targets. I like Rudolph a lot, and I think this is a good spot in the draft to lock up steady TE production.
Latavius Muray, RB (ADP: 129): Earlier in the draft prep season I was very high on Murray, and down on Cook because of Murray. Now, I’m much higher on Cook thanks to an injury recovery for Murray that spanned nearly the entire preseason. I do, however, think that Murray remains an incredible value. Even if he goes forward this year as the lesser half of a timeshare, Murray is likely to be the goal line hammer. He scored 12 touchdowns last season and didn’t even eclipse 200 carries. And you’ll hear experts mock him a bit or downplay his talent, but in three seasons Murray has never rushed for fewer than four yards per carry. Barry Sanders he is not, but Murray has become solidly underrated, and will contribute for you.
Defense/Special Teams (ADP: 120): The Vikes D is the fifth D/ST off the board, and they have big upside. Anthony Barr is a stud pass rusher, and the secondary should limit most non-Packers’ pass attacks. I don’t think this team has the high-powered upside of, say, Denver, but this D/ST will be reliable for positive points.
SLEEPERS
Adam Thielen, WR (ADP: 132): Thielen slowly became a fantasy hit in 2016, coming out of nowhere to finish with 967 yards and five touchdowns. That’s not attention-grabbing, but it’s nothing to sneeze at, and he did so while starting just 10 games. He seems entrenched as the WR2 in Minnesota for now, but this passing offense just isn’t going to provide the volume to allow him to be much more than a WR3 for you at best.
LONGSHOTS
Laquon Treadwell, WR (ADP: 253): Treadwell was a horrendous first round bust last season, and so far he looks headed to stay that way. That said, he was a beast at Ole Miss. As a junior he posted a 1,153-yard, 11-touchdown season in the SEC, which is home to many of college football’s best defenses. At 6’2, 210 lbs. he is a big receiver, and he might play his way into a role as a touchdown maven in this offense thanks to that size.
KICKER
Kai Forbath.