Week 11 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Target | Should You Add Ty Chandler After Alexander Mattison Injury?

Last week, I wrote about the Minnesota Vikings backfield situation - for like the fifth time this season - and ended the story by saying we’d likely be talking about them again in the near future.

Here we are, just a couple days later with another story on the situation. This one will mostly be about Ty Chandler, as he played well in a game where starter Alexander Mattison left with a concussion. Let’s dive into things.

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Week 10 Showings

Mattison was functioning as the team’s clear No. 1 back before his concussion in the third quarter, but Chandler also had seen a healthy amount of snaps to that point. After Mattison left, Chandler took on most of the backfield work.

Chandler ended up leading the team’s backfield on the day, rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. His touchdown run came in the second quarter, which is definitely something to note for the future, regardless of whether or not Mattison is playing.

Chandler played 32 offensive snaps in total, which was 44% of the team’s total. Kene Nwangwu served as the backup to Chandler with Mattison out, but played just three offensive snaps, rushing twice for 9 yards.

Mattison finished the game with 27 rushing yards on eight carries. He was the only back that was targeted in the passing game, making one catch on two targets for 6 yards.

Vikings Running Back Fantasy Outlook

I mentioned Chandler as a possible waiver wire target last week after Cam Akers was lost for the season. I mostly recommended him in case Mattison struggled, but the injury to the lead back has opened things up for Chandler, who should be one of the more added running backs on the waiver wire this week.

Chandler is owned in just 6% of leagues. Even if Mattison can play in week 11, Chandler’s own percentage should jump up considerably.

The backup was getting enough snaps and usage before the Mattison injury to make him a waiver wire option this week. The injury just boosted the numbers.

Fantasy owners have to see this situation like the one Mattison was just in with Akers. It might take a few weeks for the Vikings to trust Chandler as much as they did Akers, but in time, maybe this also becomes a running back committee.

Should You Add Chandler?

I think regardless of how Mattison progresses from the concussion that Chandler needs to be added this week. Waiting until you get an update on Mattison or to see if Chandler can deliver another solid week of production might be too late by then.

Chandler already looked poised to handle some type of role on offense, even if it was a secondary one. But between the injury to Mattison and the lead back’s overall struggles this season, this seems like a no-brainer to add Chandler now.

At the very least, you get a starting option for all formats for week 11, when the Vikings take on the worst defense in the league against running backs - the Denver Broncos. I think Chandler would be worth a start regardless of the status of Mattison.

After that, we’ll have to see how the backfield situation plays out. If Chandler continues to play 20+ snaps and gets double-digits touches, he’ll be at least a flex option against poor defenses. That seems fairly likely to happen given how things have played out with Mattison so far this season.

If Mattison starts playing well and dominating the snaps and touches after he’s fully recovered from his concussion, then simply stash Chandler on your bench as a handcuff in case of another injury. Or if you need the roster spot for another player, then you can simply drop Chandler.

Chandler holds a little more value in deeper leagues at this time, but his standard league value is also pretty solid with Mattison banged up. 

It seemed like the Vikings were going to utilize two backs the rest of the season with Joshua Dobbs now behind center instead of Kirk Cousins. Things could become a bit more pass-friendly as Dobbs gets familiarized with the offense, and when star wideout Justin Jefferson returns, but I’d still think the Vikings prioritize getting two backs involved to lessen the load on Dobbs.

All of this is basically saying that Chandler should be one of the higher sought after running backs going into week 11, and that you should go after him now instead of trying to wait for more reasons to make the move.