Dalvin Cook has gained a grand total of 969 yards and played in just 15 overall games through his first two played seasons at the NFL level. So why is he still being taken amongst the first two rounds of fantasy football drafts entering the 2019-20 regular season? Its simple folks - the kid is flat out talented! That’s reflected by his 1,150.5 rushing yards prop at online sportsbooks being tied with Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon as the second highest output on the betting board. But you can have talent for days and still not live up to the hype if you can’t avoid the injury bug. Unfortunately, that’s proven to be the youngsters demise after he missed 12 games his rookie season with a blown out knee and another five games a season ago due to various nagging injuries. Will this be the season he finally lives up to being the No. 9 pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft? The betting markets aren’t convinced with heavy vig burying the low side of that total.
Total Rushing Yards: 1150.5
Offensive Philosophy
The Vikings completely changed their offensive philosophy at the tail end of last season when Mark DeFilippo was replaced by Kevin Stefanski. The Vikings predominantly looked to the air with the former calling the shots, but morphed into a big time rushing team with the latter at the helm. Stefanski is back to call the offensive plays in 2019-20, and because of it, Cook possesses one of the highest rushing yard forecasts in the league.
Though upper management made an attempt to shore up the offensive line’s shortcomings by selecting Garrett Bradbury with the 18th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, the folks at Pro Football Focus are leery of Minnesota making much improvement with it entering the year ranked as the No. 25 front wall in the game. For all of last season, Minnesota ranked No. 29 in run-play percentage (35.6%), but the last three weeks rushed the pigskin at a near 48 percent clip!
If the ground game continues to excel at the outset of 2019, Cook and Kirk Cousins could be in line for enormous campaigns!
Minnesota Vikings Football Schedule
Week 1: Falcons
Week 2: @Packers
Week 3: Raiders
Week 4: @Bears
Week 5: @Giants
Week 6: Eagles
Week 7: @Lions
Week 8: Redskins
Week 9: @Chiefs
Week 10: @Cowboys
Week 11: Broncos
Week 12: Bye Week
Week 13: @Seahawks
Week 14: Lions
Week 15: @Chargers
Week 16: Packers
Week 17: Bears
Schedule Breakdown
Fantasy footballers are licking their chops so much so that he’s being taken early in the second round of most drafts. It’s highly likely the Vikings schedule plays a large role with it ranking out amongst the easier slates in the league. Though two regular season skirmishes are lined up against Chicago and the Bears near impenetrable run defense, the only other matchup considered tough on opposing running backs is the Week 10 matchup against the Cowboys in Big D.
Other than that, Minnesota isn’t expected to run up against any other defense ranked amongst the top 16 in run defense from last season. Mind you things change from season-to-season, but the schedule certainly looks appealing should most everything hold true to form. In all, the Vikings ball carriers will oppose the fifth easiest schedule for running backs to oppose this season. That paired with an OC looking to put the spotlight on the running game should certainly have Cook’s detractors on notice.
The Bets
When Cook entered the league a few years back, he looked like the next big thing. He dropped 127 yards on the Saints in his first career game, and then followed it up with another huge game against the Bucs two weeks later. Unfortunately his season was cut short soon after. But when he was healthy and firing on all cylinders, Cook looked to be one of the most explosive players in the game. Arguably better catching the ball out of the backfield, Cook has speed to burn which makes him one of the toughest players in the league for defenses to keep under wraps.
It’s all a matter of staying healthy at this point. He’s got the talent and speed to be a game changer for the Vikings this season. I’m bullish on Minnesota in 2019-20 and believe Cook plays an integral role in getting Mike Zimmer’s cats back to the playoffs. Minnesota runs a power offense and possesses one of the better stop units the league has to offer. Throw in a run-minded offensive coordinator, and the recipe is there for Cook to get 300 overall touches when it’s said and done; provided he avoids the injury big for the first time in his brief career.
That should allow for him to easily smash his rushing yards prop at top rated sportsbooks!
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