Minnesota Vikings’ New Look Offense Bodes Well for Fantasy Purposes
Now we all know to take offseason talk from players with a grain of salt. At the same time though, their words can still carry weight. Recently Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made some comments about the team’s new look and most notably said the offense is no longer a “run-first offense.” Considering old-school head coach Mike Zimmer is out and Kevin O’Connell is a former coordinator for Sean McVay, Jefferson’s comments do make sense. Let’s see what a revamped and modernized Vikings offense could like for fantasy football purposes.
For starters, I love taking Kirk Cousins late in drafts this year. I already liked doing it last year but now there’s a good chance Cousins has a top 10 fantasy season under the new system. If you’re scrambling late for a quarterback or want a reliable backup, Cousins is your guy. Another personal favorite move is drafting Cousins as well as a high upside guy with risk like Trey Lance, Justin Fields, or Trevor Lawrence.
Jefferson is going to be good no matter what. This new reality, however, could truly mean a WR1 overall finish this year. He’s close to being the best receiver in the league in my opinion, and he’s done that in a scheme that didn’t really ever favor him. If O’Connell can figure this thing out with Cousins and Jefferson, watch out. I’m comfortably taking Jefferson as a top-three receiver this year in drafts and so should you.
Last year, I despised Adam Thielen’s draft value and advised passing on him. This year is a different story, though. Thielen is going really late and is still the solidified second option for Cousins. If the offense truly becomes more pass happy, Thielen can definitely be a valuable fantasy asset that I would look to snag for cheap. If you’re wondering about K.J. Osborn, you could grab him too, but he’s really just a deep threat. Besides that, he’s pretty bad.
Relax, there’s no need to worry about Dalvin Cook just because the Vikings might throw more. Less carries are probably a good thing considering his injury history. In fact, a more run and gun style of offense stands to improve Cook’s quality of touches in terms of the fantasy points created. He’ll likely be used a good amount in the passing game and if the offense is high-octane, Cook should score a lot of touchdowns. I have Cook penciled in as a lock to finish as a top-seven running back.
Irv Smith Jr. is totally worth a late round flyer. I loved him last year until he injured his meniscus pre-season. Although he’s coming off that injury, any competition he had is also gone now as Tyler Conklin is a New York Jet. Trey has seen the talent for a while, and I totally agree with him on this. Smith Jr. could very easily find himself with a top 10 tight end finish this season.
Honestly, this news seems like it’s a plus point for every Minnesota Vikings offensive player in the fantasy football world. They should all have more opportunities to score meaningful fantasy points and I’m looking to draft all of them at their various draft positions. This is an offense I want in on.
