Vikings Fantasy Preview: Week 4 vs Giants
Adam Patrick
|
If there is one thing that can be guaranteed about Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, it is that he does not possess one ounce of care in his body for fantasy football. This is perfectly fine for the Vikings organization as a whole, but it is not really the ideal situation for people who own some of the Minnesota players on their fantasy team.
So far in 2016, besides the Vikings’ defense (which is playing out of their mind right now), Minnesota is not really the home for any fantasy superstars. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs looked to be on his way to fantasy royalty this year after the team’s first two games, but zero fantasy owners were happy with his performance last week against the Carolina Panthers (4 catches, 40 yards).
This week, the Vikings and their vanilla offense get a matchup with the New York Giants.
Quarterback:
Sam Bradford
He may not have produced in the way that most fantasy owners would have hoped for in his second start with Minnesota last week, but he did what was necessary for his team to get the win. To Bradford’s credit, he was playing against a Panthers defense that is allowing under 200 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks this season.
On Monday against the Giants, Bradford gets a slightly better matchup and should see his final stat sheet improve from a week ago. But unless a fantasy owner’s starting quarterback has a bye this week, Bradford should still man a spot on most teams’ benches.
Week 4 Projection: 13.2 points (228 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)
Running Back:
Jerick McKinnon
Not sure if the Vikings know what they are doing with McKinnon yet this year, which does not bode well for his fantasy owners.
He did score two touchdowns against New York a season ago, but both of those were in the fourth quarter of a game in which Minnesota was up by 22 points. He could be a desperate flex option for some fantasy owners, but McKinnon still remains a risky start until he starts performing well at a consistent rate.
Week 4 Projection: 10.8 points (16 touches, 75 total yards, 1 TD)
Wide Receiver:
Stefon Diggs
The Vikings’ talented wide receiver came back down to earth last week against Carolina. But there should be no worry for fantasy owners about the remainder of his season.
Diggs gets a nice matchup with a Giants secondary that his currently being hit by the injury bug. Another 100 yard and one touchdown performance this Monday by the Minnesota receiver would not come as a surprise to many fantasy owners who should be scolded for not having him in their lineups this week.
Week 4 Projection: 10.4 points (6 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD)
Tight End:
Kyle Rudolph
While Diggs may have had an off day last week, Rudolph continues to improve his play through each game this season. The Vikings tight end caught a touchdown pass for the second straight game last week against the Panthers and he seems to becoming a favorite target of Bradford’s.
Rudolph has scored the second most fantasy points among tight ends in 2016 and he should be a fixture in most fantasy owners’ lineups for weeks to come.
Week 4 Projection: 6.1 points (4 catches, 44 yards, 0 TDs)