Minnesota Vikings

Seventh-round pick out of Iowa QB Nate Stanley has officially signed his rookie contract for four-years, $3.4M with the Minnesota Vikings. (Source: Minnesota Vikings on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Stanley becomes the first member of the Vikings 2020 draft class to officially sign his rookie contract. The big-bodied quarterback has drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger, but has a long way to go if he wants to live up to those expectations. Last season, Stanley threw for 2,951 yards and 16 TDs for the Hawkeyes and in his career at Iowa he finished 2nd in school history with 8,302 yards and 68 TDs. He should compete with incumbent backup Sean Mannion for the No. 2 job behind Kirk Cousins this season.

Despite RB Dalvin Cook’s reported hold-out, the Minnesota Vikings intend to work out a deal with their workhorse back prior to the start of training camp. (Source: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Last week, reports surfaced that Cook was willing to hold out for a long-term deal from the Vikings as he enters into the final year of his rookie contract. Cook was apparently frustrated with the Vikings initial offer, but Minnesota remains intent on meeting Cook and his representatives somewhere in the middle before training camp kicks off. If you’re drafting now and want to take a chance on Cook, make sure you also secure the most valuable handcuff in fantasy football at the moment, Alexander Mattison. If healthy and playing at full-speed, Cook is arguably a top-5 running back in the NFL on any given Sunday.

Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak says Justin Jefferson will play in the slot "quite a bit" this season. (Source: Chad Graff on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: "That's something he's exceptional at" Kubiak added. Jefferson ran 78% of his routes from inside last year and it's clear that the Vikings want him to continue a role he has had success with. Adam Thielen will likely play a lot more outside this year with Jefferson in town and Stefon Diggs traded to Buffalo.

S Anthony Harris has signed his $11.4 million franchise tender with the Vikings. He will continue to work with the team towards a long-term extension. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Harris signed his franchise tender with the Vikings worth $11.4 million. The team will work with Harris towards a long-term extension. The 28-year-old had a career-year in 2019. He racked up 35 solo tackles, one fumble recovery and tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. Harris is currently outside the top-50 among all defensive backs in the latest expert consensus rankings.

Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins said through the team’s website that there are improvements the entire team could make, but one personally for him would be to “take off and run” when the opportunity presents itself. (Source: ProFootballTalk on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Cousins has the athletic ability to make plays with his legs, as showcased in his three years as the starter in Washington, where he racked up 14 TDs on the ground. In his two years as the starter in Minnesota, Cousins only has two rushing TDs. The attempts are similar and more easy to predict, but it’s possible the Vikings didn’t give Cousins the free-will to make a play with his legs down in the red zone. This could be a product of the superior run game Minnesota boasts with Dalvin Cook, but either way, Cousins stated that “I’d like to add that (running) to my game and try to work on that the best I can, as hard as it is.” He’s currently ranked #19 in the FantasyPros consensus QB rankings, making him a solid QB2, but if he can add four to five rushing TDs to his stat line, he could potentially hit low-end QB1 production.

Courtney Cronin of ESPN writes that Vikings tight end Irv Smith could have an expanded role in 2020. (Source: ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: The rookie impressed at times last season, hauling in 36 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns while playing in all 16 games. Stefon Diggs is no longer with the Vikings, which could open up targets for the 21-year-old tight end. However, just keep in mind that for now Smith is still behind Kyle Rudolph on the team's depth chart.

Adam Schefter is reporting that the Atlanta Falcons are going to sign free agent wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Treadwell has not lived up to his first-round draft status. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Vikings in the 2016 NFL draft. Treadwell has been an after thought with the Vikings, as he was their fifth option in the passing game. The Falcons are already loaded at receiver with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. If Treadwell were to contribute, he would be useful in the red zone. He may help fill the void left by the departure of Austin Hooper. Treadwell is worth a speculative add in deep dynasty leagues if you have space available.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports the Lions are signing Jayron Kearse to a one-year contract. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The deal is worth $2.75 million. Kearse, the former Minnesota safety, will help bolster Detroit’s secondary. It’s yet another free agent signing for the busy Lions.

Former Vikings CB Trae Waynes is signing a massive three-year, $42M deal to become a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The former 2015 first-rounder out of Michigan State has played all five seasons with the Vikings, and will now head to Cincinnati to play for the potentially up and coming Bengals. Pro Football Focus had Waynes as the 46th highest-graded CB in 2019.

Minnesota WR Stefon Diggs is being traded to Buffalo in exchange for a 1st-round pick, a 5th-round pick, a 6th-round pick, and 2021 4th-round pick. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Diggs gives Buffalo a very formidable 1-2 punch with him and Smokey John Brown on the outside. The Bills could still use some size at the WR position, however Diggs gives them plenty of play-making ability. The Bills are doing all they can to put some real talent around QB Josh Allen. Diggs was visibly upset at times in Minnesota last season, so it’s probably for the best that he gets a shot with a new team. Consider Diggs a WR2 in Buffalo as he’ll be sharing targets with Brown, and Josh Allen doesn’t throw the ball as much as some other quarterbacks do. That being said, Diggs should still be a focal point of the offense.

The Vikings are signing FB C.J. Ham to new contract that's worth $12.25M over four years, including $4M in 2020. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: While CJ Ham doesn't personally do much as a fantasy asset, he is the hammer that pounds away for the Vikings' incredible run game. The bruising fullback is a big part of Dalvin Cook's success and Alexander Mattison's upside. Knowing that Ham will be back for the next four years gives every Vikings running back a bump in dynasty and keeper leagues.

Xavier Rhodes was released by the Vikings on Friday. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Rhodes was a candidate to be released this off-season as the Vikings would save up to $10.5 million in 2020. He logged a career-high 63 (54 solo) tackles, six pass defenses and one forced fumble across 15 games in 2019. Rhodes coverage skills diminished last season, and Minnesota decided to cut bait on the former elite cornerback. The 29-year old will look to latch onto another team.

Alexander Mattison rushed once for three yards in the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: The run game had nowhere to go Saturday, and Mattison saw just one touch in the blowout loss, with Dalvin Cook not faring much better. The explosive rookie will look to keep positive momentum on his side heading into 2020, though as long as Dalvin Cook is healthy, Mattison is just a high-tier handcuff with little standalone value outside of deep leagues.

Adam Thielen caught five of seven targets for 50 yards in the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Thielen finished second only to Stefon Diggs (57) in receiving yards Saturday, while leading the Vikings in targets. It was a let-down effort considering Thielen's big game in the Wild Card win over the Saints, but Minnesota was shut down all afternoon by a stout San Francisco defense. A WR1 in 2018, Thielen will look to put a forgettable, injury-riddled 2019 campaign behind him and bounce back in 2020.

Kyle Rudolph caught two of three targets for four yards in the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: It was a disappointing performance for Rudy, accounting for just four scoreless yards after catching the game-winning touchdown in last week's matchup with New Orleans. Despite an up-and-down season, the nine-year vet provided six touchdowns and TE1 value from Weeks 7-13, showing that he's still got some juice. With rookie Irv Smith Jr. looking to take the next step forward in his second year, Rudolph may see his role reduced in 2020.

Dan Bailey made his only field-goal attempt and his only extra-point attempt in the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Bailey ended the 2019 campaign with 22 straight field-goal makes, including the regular season and postseason. He was the fourth-most accurate kicker in the regular season and will look to build on the strong season when he returns to Minnesota in 2020.

Minnesota Vikings D/ST recorded two sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery in the Vikings’ 27-10 loss to the 49ers on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: It was a respectable fantasy line, despite the 27 points allowed in Saturday's loss. The Vikings D/ST came away with two turnovers and two sacks -- adding 159 kick-return yards from Ameer Abdullah -- to provide a few fantasy points on the afternoon. Many of the key players on this formidable defensive unit should return next season, making for a strong fantasy pick in 2020 drafts.

Bisi Johnson secured two of three targets for 17 yards in the Vikings’ 26-20 overtime victory over the Saints on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Johnson came away with very little involvement in this one, and the target he didn’t come down with was a drop on third down. Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph are clearly ahead of him in the list of Kirk Cousins’ preferred targets. He’s not a fantasy-relevant option.

Tyler Conklin caught his only target for nine yards in the Vikings’ 21-19 loss to the Bears on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Conklin didn't contribute much Sunday, and he finishes the year with an 8/58/0 receiving line.

Alexander Hollins caught two of three targets ffor 46 yards in the Vikings’ 21-19 loss to the Bears on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: With Minnesota resting its starters, Hollins received some extended run and led the Vikings in receiving yards Sunday. He notched his only receiving yards of the campaign and will head back to the bench for the Wild Card Round of the playoffs next weekend.