The 5 Best Vikings Players Entering Week 4
The Minnesota Vikings take their undefeated streak on the road this weekend for a date with the Green Bay Packers, a team that started winning once Malik Willis entered the lineup.
The 5 Best Vikings Players Entering Week 4
Minnesota’s 3-0 start is rather unexpected, and standout players have propelled the club along the way.
So, these are the Vikings’ five best players through three games. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = best player).
5. Blake Cashman (LB)
Cashman owns a phenomenal 78.1 Pro Football Focus grade through three games, and his specialty is pass coverage, which his predecessor didn’t necessarily showcase in 2023. The “Cash Man” also has 23 total tackles and a sack.
The Eden Prairie native has made an immediate thumbprint on the Vikings’ defensive operations. He could be the type of player who sticks around for years. He turned 28 in May.
4. Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB)
At 77.1, Van Ginkel’s PFF grade is nearly as sweet as Cashman’s. Van Ginkel is involved in almost every keynote defensive play, the ultimate ball hawk in Brian Flores’ top-ranked defense (per DVOA).
He’s a Swiss army knife with 14 tackles, 4 QB hits, 3 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and a game-solidifying touchdown (at NYG). Van Ginkel has also logged 8 quarterback pressures. This man is a steal of a deal at $10 million per season.
3. Sam Darnold (QB)
Darnold leads the NFL in touchdown passes through three games and ranks seventh per EPA+CPOE, an efficiency metric measuring expected wins added.
The Vikings asked him to run the enterprise in 2024, and when J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus, many decided that Darnold could script a “Baker Mayfield-like season.” Well, he’s doing that and more.
Darnold is playing so well that Vikings fans collectively held their breath last weekend when he bruised his knee. He’s good to go after an MRI, but many thought the season relied on Darnold’s leg. That’s how far we’ve come in three weeks.
2. Christian Darrisaw (LT)
PFF calls Darrisaw the business’ eighth-best offensive tackle, and the ranking checks out because the man virtually never has bad games. He’s a stalwart of the offensive line and is financially connected to Minnesota’s books through the end of 2029.
Any Top 5 list of best Vikings players without Darrisaw is disallowable.
1. Justin Jefferson (WR)
Jefferson is on pace for 1,547 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Before 2024, his yardage totals habitually superseded the touchdowns, but this season, the ledger is balancing.
The 2022 Offensive Player of the Year has generated instant chemistry with Sam Darnold, a welcome sight for Vikings faithful, especially when some — like the fantasy football community — claimed Jefferson might experience a downturn due to Darnold’s arrival.
This is Justin Jefferson, folks. There is no downturn.
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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