Vikings @ Saints: Fantasy Football Outlook
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
QB
Matt Cassel? Seriously?
RB
With Peterson out Matt Asiata will be the #1 back but I don’t think Minnesota will feed him like they did with a superstar like AP. Add to that the fact that he might see some snaps taken away from him by Cordarelle Patterson and you can only start Asiata in the flex right now, hoping he scores a touchdown.
WR
If Minnesota keeps not only throwing the ball to him but also handing the ball to him Cordarelle Patterson will be fantasy gold this season. Clearly a good WR2. Good ol’ Greg Jennings is a risky start, simply because Matt Cassel is the quarterback.
Cordarelle Patterson’s Projections
NFL.com – 17.80 pts
ESPN – 7.00 pts
YAHOO – 11.52 pts
TE
Is this the year Kyle Rudolph breaks out? Right now is just an average fantasy tight end, top-15 but with less fantasy points than Travis Kelce, Marcedes Lewis and Larry Donnell. Saints are allowing 6.25 fantasy ppg to tight ends but the Vikings will throw the ball a lot in this game so go ahead and start Rudolph.
K
Blair Walsh is 2/3 with a miss from 40+ last week. He should have a good game though, especially if the Saints defense is able to make some stops in the red zone like they usually do at home.
D/ST
Believe it or not, the Vikings have the 6th-best fantasy defense so far. So start them, right? Nope. The Saints offense is too dangerous when they play in the Dome.
Jan 11, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of the 2013 NFC divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
QB
Brees at home is a superhero, I expect 30+ fantasy point against the Vikings.
RB
Did you handcuffed Mark Ingram with Khiry Robinson? In that case, good job my friend. Robinson will get a lot of Ingram’s snaps and hopefully he’ll keep his touchdown streak alive.
Khiry Robinson’s Projections
NFL.com – 4.40 pts
ESPN – 12.00 pts
YAHOO – 9.44 pts
As usual, Pierre Thomas is a good flex option. He’s gonna benefit from Ingram’s absence too in terms of snaps.
WR
Colston wasn’t used much last week because he was on the field too much against the Falcons, according to Sean Payton, so this week he should bounce back in terms of production. Don’t be afraid to start him.
Cooks is the safest start at this point: he’s a top-20 fantasy receiver and he’s getting a lot of snaps every game. Should be able to give you 10+ fantasy points in this game.
TE
Of course you start Jimmy.
K
Minnesota is allowing an average 10 fantasy points to kickers so I’d say Shayne Graham is a pretty safe start.
D/ST
Pretty disappointing so far: they just can’t create turnovers! They’re probably gonna do a better job at home so it’s not the worst start this week but I still don’t trust this unit – fantasy wise.