Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football Preview: Should You Draft Alexander Mattison?
The Vikings are definitely a fun team for fantasy. They are loaded with viable fantasy options at all skill positions and they have one of the most favorable strengths of schedules for fantasy, with half their games coming against defenses that project to be weak. Let's take a look at what to expect from their main players in fantasy football this season.
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Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football Preview
Justin Jefferson Fantasy Football Outlook
Justin Jefferson is the safest 1.01 in several fantasy seasons. You can lock him in for 180 targets, 1,700 yards, and double-digit touchdowns. Veteran Adam Thielen left for Carolina so Jefferson's target share should be sustained. Enjoy it if you are lucky enough to get the first pick in your fantasy drafts and watch JJ smash every week!
Jordan Addison Fantasy Football Outlook
The Vikings took Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Addison has shown us plenty of preseason highlights both in games and at practice. Immediately assuming the WR2 role in Minnesota, he is in line to finish as the top-scoring rookie WR. His route running is elite and he'll obviously benefit with Jefferson getting so much attention from opposing defenses.
Kirk Cousins Fantasy Football Outlook
QB Kirk Cousins is someone I'm a bit higher on then consensus as he has finished as a top 11 fantasy QB for each of the past three seasons and finished as QB7 in 2022. He's about as safe as you can with great weapons at his disposal. If you wait on QB and don't take one of the top eight, you could do a lot worse than pairing Cousins with someone with massive upside like Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson. Cousins can hold down the fort while AR5 gets his feet underneath him.
Alexander Mattison Fantasy Football Outlook
At RB, DeWayne McBride a seventh-round pick from UAB, was a roster cut, which brings more clarity to this backfield. Alexander Mattison is set up for fantasy success and is a great mid-round pick. Mattison always filled in admirably when he got spot starts when Dalvin Cook missed time due to injury. Over 2020-2021, he averaged 23.7 PPR points in the five games that he got over 20+ touches. The Vikings did entertain a visit from free agent Kareem Hunt, but that was more because of the uncertainty behind Mattison.
Ty Chandler Fantasy Football Outlook
Ty Chandler has won the backup RB role, he played well in the pre-season and proved to be a reliable pass blocker. Chandler could carve out the third-down-back role. He's a pretty good runner between the tackles and has some juice. He's a good last pick in drafts.
T.J. Hockenson Fantasy Football Outlook
T.J. Hockenson signed a massive contract extension this week, making him the highest-paid player at the tight end position in football. You can debate if he deserved to be the highest, but he is one of the top players at the position. I'm not avoiding Hock, but I am often taking WRs or RBs in that range where he is going, and more often targeting Darren Waller a bit later. Some of the massive volume that came Hockenson's way last year following his trade to the Vikings could decrease a bit if Jordan Addison is as good as advertised.
