Questions Answered: Vikings’ Next Free Agent Signing, Revised W-L Prediction, Will CMC Play on Sunday?
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the September 11th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Vikings’ Next Free Agent Signing, Revised W-L Prediction, Will CMC Play on Sunday?
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: If the Vikings add a notable free agent in the next month or so, who will it be?
Answer: A running back — when an injury emerges to Aaron Jones or Ty Chandler.
Aaron Jones is injury-prone — that’s the one knock on the guy — and after him on the depth chart, it’s Chandler and Myles Gaskin. Zavien Scott also lives on the practice squad.
An ailment to Jones or Chandler will show up before too long — hopefully minor — and we’ll expect the Vikings to explore the free agency of a halfback like Darrell Henderson, Matt Breida, or Damien Harris.
Q: You picked the Vikings to finish 7-10. Care to walk that back?
A: Nope.
We factored in a Vikings win over the New York Giants and foreshadowed a rough patch in the next six games. If forced to change the prognostication, we’d say 8-9 instead of 7-10. Until proven otherwise, Minnesota beat up a bad Giants team last weekend, which might’ve inflated their efficiency.
We, however, hope we’re wrong. A division crown would be fantastic.
Q: Do you think Christian McCaffrey will play on Sunday at Minnesota?
Answer: This one is a true coinflip, but we’ll lean no, banking on the 49ers’ abundance of caution.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport commented on McCaffrey’s status on Wednesday, “It feels to me, just taking stock of the situation, talking to people involved, that Christian McCaffrey is a long shot to play this week against the Minnesota Vikings.”
Because McCaffrey’s malady is the Achilles, we expect the 49ers to tread gingerly and plan for December, January, and February — not September.
Also remember that Jordan Mason clocked 147 rushing yards without McCaffrey versus the New York Jets. Kyle Shanahan and friends can get away with nominating Mason for RB1 duty once again.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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