Minnesota Vikings Should Figure Prominently In 2022 Fantasy Football Drafts

There’s an excellent chance that several Minnesota Vikings players will be featured in prominently in Fantasy Football drafts around the country in the coming days.

Justin Jefferson is one of the best wide receivers in the league and his announced goal is to become the best at his position. Adam Thielen is the perfect receiving partner to Jefferson because he has brilliant hands and has shown he is one of the top red zone targets in the league. Dalvin Cook has rushed for 1,135 yards or more in each of the last three seasons and should be in prime form as he readies for his sixth season in the NFL at age 27.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is one of the most dependable fantasy quarterback available to fantasy players. While he has a well-earned reputation as a quarterback who often struggles when the Vikings are playing their biggest games, his season-long statistics have been quite remarkable during his four previous seasons with Minnesota.

Cousins is always on the job as he has shown a remarkable ability to stay healthy. He has played and started in 65 of 67 regular-season games, and he has never completed less than 66.3 percent of his passes. He has thrown for an average of 4,096.8 yards, with 31 TD tosses, and just 9 interceptions.

Looking at the preseason fantasy rankings indicates Cousins is often an afterthought among the experts. He’s clearly behind Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. His numbers are remarkably similar to Justin Herbert of the Chargers, but Herbert is rated as high as third on fantasy cheat sheets, while Cousins is down in the teens.

This is not a defense of Cousins as an NFL quarterback, but it is clearly a vote of support as a fantasy quarterback. When it comes to fantasy football drafts, it is foolish to draft quarterbacks in the first few rounds.

Since running back and wide receiver TD statistics count for more points than quarterback TD passes, the value of drafting quarterbacks other than Mahomes and Allen is limited since there are so many others at that position who can put excellent numbers on the board. Count Cousins in that group, thanks to his ability to avoid injuries and throw the ball accurately.

There are some factors that could hurt his yardage totals during the 2022 season, and that might actually be a good thing for the team’s on-field results and standings in the NFC North. The Vikings have rarely been able to gain significant leads in games that allows them to attempt to run out the clock. During the last two seasons, they have often been battling from behind, meaning that Cousins is consistently putting the ball in the air throughout the fourth quarter.

However, if the Vikings show the improvement on defense that many expect and are able to forge leads of two scores or more, the latter stages of the fourth quarter will be about running the ball, maintaining possession, and draining the clock. Those factors will cut down on Cousins’ yardage totals.

Cousins has the track record to show he is quite dependable at Fantasy Football, but he has yet to play a down in the preseason. Even if he plays in Saturday’s preseason finale on the road against the Denver Broncos, it is not likely to be for more than two drives. He has missed time in practice due to Covid, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has not seen him perform in the team’s new system this summer.

That’s not the most comfortable thought for Cousins’ teammates, the team’s coaching staff and long-suffering fans. But training camp and season preparation changed dramatically at least two decades ago.

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The Vikings’ history is notable for the success the team had in its early years, as the team went to and lost four Super Bowls between the 1969 and 1976 seasons.

The first of those was Super Bowl IV against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings were heavy favorites against Len Dawson and the Chiefs before dropping a 23-7 decision.

Dawson died Wednesday at the age of 87, and he explained his motivation against the Vikings after losing Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers and watching the New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

“It was a day we were simply ready to play football,” Dawson said in an exclusive interview recalling the triumph. “We remembered what it was like to lose that game, and we didn’t want to repeat it. We kept our poise, we made plays and we took care of business. “

Dawson gained glory from that game, and it started the Vikings on the road to missed Super Bowl opportunities.