Tuesday, August 31, 2021

2021 Fantasy Football Projections: Minnesota Vikings

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the Minnesota Vikings.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Kirk Cousins512.3350.94047.229.4610.7633.6109.20.76273.69
Kellen Mond32.720.82421.340.983.712.60.0714.76

Kirk Cousins: Throwing 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions (both career highs) in 2020, Cousins was especially good down the stretch. Cousins scored a minimum of 20 fantasy points in seven of his final nine games last season. Even though Stefon Diggs led the NFL in receiving, rookie Justin Jefferson (88/1,400/7) more than compensated for the 2019 version of Diggs (63/1,130/6). Given the team's run-first nature, however, Cousins remains a streaming option for those in single-QB 12-team leagues.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Dalvin Cook293.41349.612.4749.3418.22.5291.25
Alexander Mattison124.3553.12.6714.9122.20.996.4
Kene Nwangwu32.3142.10.893.225.70.224.92
C.J. Ham515.50.17.157.90.413.89

Dalvin Cook: Once again, Cook has missed multiple games, but he set career highs in touches (356), yards from scrimmage (1,918) and touchdowns (17) and scored the third-most fantasy points (half-PPR) among running backs. The clear lead back in one of the league's most run-heavy offenses, Cook averaged a career-high 5.0 YPC in 2020 and has a minimum of 40 catches in each of the past three seasons.

Alexander Mattison: Dalvin Cook has never played a full season and has actually missed multiple games in all four seasons. Given Cook's durabilty history and the team's run-first offensive philosophy, Mattison is a high-end handcuff.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Justin Jefferson87.712318000214.95
Adam Thielen80.31020.87.55270.05190.23
Dede Westbrook29.2323.82.300060.78
K.J. Osborn3.340.70.30007.52
Ihmir Smith-Marsette225.70.20004.77

Justin Jefferson: Jefferson exceeded all expectations in his inaugural season with 88 catches for a rookie-record 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. Not only did the former LSU Tiger have seven 100-yard games, but he had double-digit targets in five of his final six games after doing so in only two of his first 10 games. Going forward, Jefferson is clearly the 1(a) to Adam Thielen's 1(b) in Minnesota's passing offense.

Adam Thielen: Thielen averaged only 61.7 YPG, but he scored 14 touchdowns in 2020. Only three receivers were targeted more often in the red zone than Thielen (19). While Justin Jefferson has moved ahead of him in the wide receiver pecking order, Thielen remains a strong WR2 in both real life and fantasy.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Irv Smith38.3411.83.800083.13
Tyler Conklin29.9321.72.400061.52
Chris Herndon25.1274.52.200053.2
Brandon Dillon1.5150.10002.85

Irv Smith: Smith missed three games last season, but the second-year tight end set career highs in YPG (28.1), Y/R (12.2) and touchdowns (five). The arrow was pointing up for the third-year tight end with Kyle Rudolph in New York, but he will have meniscus surgery that is expected to "sideline him for at least the start of the regular season."

Tyler Conklin: Earlier this offseason, Mike Zimmer talked up Conklin when he said: "It's a bigger role for Tyler Conklin [this season]. He's kind of emerged as a guy that's moving upward, and with those two guys (Conklin and Smith), we have a lot of weapons there." With Smith set to have meniscus surgery, Conklin has the potential to flirt with TE1 (top-12) numbers if Smith misses most or all of the season.

Chris Herndon: Missing most of the 2019 season, Herndon played a full 16-game slate in 2020, but he was mostly a non-factor with an average receiving line of 1.9/17.9 and a total of three touchdowns. With the Vikings sending a fourth-round pick to acquire Herndon from the Jets, it's possible the Vikings expect Smith to miss a significant portion of the 2021 season.

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