Last-Minute Week 7 Start/Sit Decisions | Should You Start Alexander Mattison, K.J. Osborn, Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Other Vikings or 49ers?
Every Monday, there’s always a handful of trending decisions on the FantasySP start/sit tool involving players in the Monday night game.
Instead of writing multiple stories, broken down by position or fantasy tier, I’m going to knock out all kinds of decisions from the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers contest in one article. Let’s get to it!
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Quarterback Breakdown
This quarterback matchup fascinates me. Each quarterback is missing at least one offensive weapon, and you never know how that might affect a quarterback and game flow.
Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins will be without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson again. Offensive guard Ezra Cleveland is also out, but everyone else should be a full go on offense.
San Fran’s defense excels in slowing opposing quarterbacks, while being closer to average against the run. Minnesota doesn’t run the ball all that well, so it’ll be fun to see what kind of gameplan the team has cooked up.
San Francisco’s Brock Purdy will be without wideout Deebo Samuel, and offensive tackle Trent Williams is doubtful. Running back Christian McCaffrey is questionable, but reportedly is expected to play.
Minnesota’s defense is better in slowing the run, while struggling against quarterbacks. This seems like a perfect opportunity to have Purdy and the passing game lead the charge.
I like Purdy over Cousins if you happen to own both quarterbacks. If the Vikings fall behind by a lot, then I could see Cousins outscoring Purdy from a fantasy perspective, but I expect the Vikings to at least keep things close, so Purdy will be able to rack up plenty of numbers along the way.
Running Back Breakdown
McCaffrey’s injury status at least makes the running back debate somewhat worthwhile. If he plays, I’m of course taking him over Minnesota’s Alexander Mattison.
Seeing that San Fran’s defense is average against running backs, that at least leaves Mattison an option for your flex spot - if you have other wideouts, receivers or tight ends you’re thinking about starting.
If McCaffrey is a last-minute scratch, I think Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell will split the running back workload. I like Mitchell to play more than Mason, even though the season stats would point toward Mason.
I wouldn't play Mason or Mitchell if McCaffrey plays. Even though I’d expect a lighter workload for McCaffrey, I don’t see either backup doing enough in limited opportunities to put up a solid fantasy score.
Wide Receiver Breakdown
With Jefferson and Samuel out, some other receivers will need to step up.
Minnesota has K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison that will lead the way. I like Addison over Osborn as he’s been the more consistent producer and scorer so far. Addison actually leads the team with four scores.
Brandon Aiyuk will be San Fran’s top wide receiver. He leads the team in targets anyway, so you shouldn’t have any doubts as to if he can produce in the lead role.
Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud seem like the two most-likely wideouts to step up in Sameul’s absence, with Ronnie Bell also a sleeper option. I’d trust the season stats and lean toward playing the guys who are on the field most. That means Jennings is the top option, followed by McCloud and Bell. McCloud has actually been outproduced by Bell, although McCloud does return kicks, so I’d still take McCloud over Bell.
Brandon Powell is the only Vikings’ receiver that’s played a significant amount of snaps this season, but Jalen Nailor could also be activated from the injured serve list, which clouds Powell’s role a bit. I’d still roll with Powell, as Nailor will likely be on some type of snap count restriction if he suits up.
When looking at both team’s receivers, I like Aiyuk the best of the bunch, followed by Addison and then Osborn. I’d take Jennings next, and then Powell. I’d close things out with McCloud, Bell and Nailor.
Tight End Breakdown
The Monday night contest will feature two of the best tight ends in the league.
I like Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson over San Fran’s George Kittle, simply based on what they’ve produced this season. Hockenson has been far more consistent than Kittle. Both are guys that should be starting though.
It’s a slightly-tougher matchup for Hockenson, so that evens this matchup a touch, but I’m still more comfortable with him over Kittle.
There’s not much else to say about these two. I think each guy could lead their team in fantasy points scored.
Final Thoughts and Preferred Flex Players
This is a matchup loaded with talent, even with a couple injuries to star players.
I like San Francisco to win this game, pulling away late for a two-score win. That would mean Minnesota hangs around in the contest, allowing both teams to be pretty balanced.
Guys that are must starts for me are: Hockenson, McCaffrey and Aiyuk. I’d include Kittle, but I left him off for the instances where a fantasy owner needs to decide between him and Hockenson for one spot. If you somehow need to decide between two or more of those four players, that’s the order I’d take them in.
After those guys, there’s still some solid fantasy options, starting with Kittle. After that you can simply follow my preferred wide receiver order from before (after Aiyuk): Addison, Osborn, Jennings, Powell, McCloud, Bell, Nailor.
If you have an offensive position (OP) spot in your league, then here’s how I’d go about things. Purdy should be the starter over Cousins. I’d take McCaffrey over both quarterbacks. I’d lean toward one of the quarterbacks over anyone else, depending on your league scoring of course.
Best of luck with your last-minute start decisions!
