Fantasy Football Player Notes
2020 Draft Rankings
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7.
Dalvin Cook
RB - (at DET)
It turns out Gary Kubiak is very good for a run-game. Cook took his game to another level in 2019, finishing as the No. 5 running back despite missing two games. Not only did he total 18-plus carries in eight games, but he also ranked third in yards per route run among running backs. With Stefon Diggs gone, we could see him highlighted even more in the passing game, though Justin Jefferson will eat some of them. Cook also led the league with 21 carries inside the five-yard-line. Health has always been a question mark with Cook, but when healthy, he's easily a top-10 back.
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31.
Adam Thielen
WR - (at DET)
Coming off a year in which he played just 10 games while dealing with back issues, many are down on Thielen. You must remember he posted back-to-back 1,200-plus yard seasons before 2019. Not just that, but with the teams forced to stay away from camps, Kirk Cousins won't have much time to develop chemistry with any of the other receivers, so Thielen should be a target monster. He should have a bounceback season.
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118.
Alexander Mattison
RB - (at DET)
He's one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football. There were times in 2019 where he looked like Dalvin Cook on the field, which is a high compliment. We also cannot pretend that Cook has been the picture of perfect health throughout his three years in the NFL. Mattison won't have much value without a Cook injury, but that's okay when you draft him in the later rounds.
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138.
Justin Jefferson
WR - (at DET)
The landing spot in Minnesota is a good thing for Jefferson, as Stefon Diggs is gone and Adam Thielen is going to be 30 years old (with back problems) at the start of the season. But for now, Jefferson is just a middling WR4 due to the low volume available in the Vikings offense.
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143.
Kirk Cousins
QB - (at DET)
A run-first offense that just lost their best receiver? Cousins is likely to finish higher than where I have him ranked because he's been durable and has zero chance of losing the starting job, but I'd rather select someone with more upside in that range. The best-case scenario for Cousins is that he finishes as a high-end QB2, which is a reach considering he threw the ball just 444 times last year.
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187.
Minnesota Vikings
DST - (at DET)
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196.
Irv Smith Jr.
TE - (at DET)
Smith played a fair amount in his rookie season, but he's still second fiddle to Kyle Rudolph. Although the two tight ends essentially split targets last year, Smith was used fairly closer to the line of scrimmage and almost never had a chance to break big plays. He may see a bit more usage now with plenty of vacated targets in the absence of Stefon Diggs, but he's nothing better than a low-end TE2.
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208.
Kyle Rudolph
TE - (at DET)
Rudolph scored six touchdowns last season, but overall, it was a disappointing effort from the veteran. He essentially split targets with Irv Smith Jr. (seeing just 48, his lowest since 2014), and had just 39 catches for 367 yards, both well below his usual numbers. Even without Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings are surely going to be a run-first offense once again, which will leave Rudolph searching for targets for the second straight season, well outside of TE1 consideration.
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253.
Dan Bailey
K - (at DET)
After two years in which he struggled with his accuracy, Bailey bounced back last season by hitting 93.1% of his field-goal attempts, including hitting all three from 50-plus yards. Unfortunately, he saw just 29 attempts, the third straight year in which he saw fewer than 30. Bailey is a decent option in 15-team leagues, but nothing more.
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286.
Mike Boone
RB - (at DET)
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378.
Tajae Sharpe
WR - (at DET)
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381.
Olabisi Johnson
WR - (at DET)
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467.
Ameer Abdullah
RB - (at DET)
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473.
CJ Ham
RB - (at DET)
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