Daily Dr. Roto—October 24, 2019
Week 8 Thursday Night Preview
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins
This is perhaps the best (and potentially most confusing) start of the week. On the one hand, we have the revenge narrative against his old team, and you know that Cousins will be inspired to play well. On the other hand, this game should be a foregone conclusion close to halftime, and the Vikings might just run the ball 30 times in the second half alone. Since you all know that I love a good revenge narrative, I will start Cousins tonight in all seasonal leagues and hope that he can do enough damage early on to give me about 20 fantasy points.
Case Keenum
There are SO many better options than Keenum tonight, perhaps even on his own team (Dwayne Haskins). The Vikings front seven should maul Keenum, and I would not be shocked if he left the game in the second half.
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Running Backs
Dalvin Cook
Washington will do everything they can to stop Cook, but it really won’t matter as the Vikings will continue to give him the ball and try to wear down the Redskins defense. Look for Cook to start out the game slowly, but I can see him breaking off 1-2 huge plays later in the game when the Redskins defense starts to get tired. I feel confident that Cook will have 100+ rushing yards and a TD.
Alexander Mattison
I know that Mattison is a backup, but I envision the Vikings going out to an early lead and then running the ball for most, if not all, of the second half. If that prediction comes to fruition, then Mattison will undoubtedly get more than a handful of carries. In a time where finding a decent RB seems like the hardest thing to do, Mattison might be able to get his owners 5-8 points, and possibly more if he can score a TD.
Adrian Peterson
If you are looking for another revenge narrative play, here it is. AP is dealing with multiple injuries, but there seems like there will be no way that he misses this game against his old team. For nostalgia sake, Peterson could have like 50-60 yards and a TD, but I don’t feel especially confident about that prediction.
Wendell Smallwood
With Chris Thompson out, Smallwood will once again take on the role of third-down RB. If you are desperate for a player who can give you 8-10 fantasy points in a PPR format, Smallwood should be able to do that as I expect the Redskins to be playing from behind most of the night.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs
If Cousins is going to look downfield, he’s going to see Diggs open for most of the game. Diggs is appreciably faster than anyone the Redskins have in their secondary, and I expect that he will make 1-2 big plays in this game. Outside of Cook, Diggs is the one Viking who you want to make sure is active on your roster.
Olabisi Johnson
Johnson is only getting the start with Adam Thielen out with a hamstring injury. I can see him getting about 10-12 Fantasy points, so feel free to use a waiver wire add if you are desperate for WR production.
Terry McLaurin
I love McLaurin, but this is a tough matchup against CB Xavier Rhodes, who has only given up one TD reception this season. Could McLaurin make two? Possibly, but it’s still not a great high percentage play. I would play McLaurin over the likes of Diontae Johnson, Anthony Miller, and players like that, but I think that he will finish this week outside the top 40 WR producers.
Paul Richardson
This is basically a DFS showdown flyer as CB Trae Waynes is a weak CB. The way to exploit the Vikings defense is to challenge him deep (much like the Lions did with Marvin Jones). There is no way that Richardson will do what Jones did last week, but if you need a sneaky garbage time TD, he might be able to supply it.
Tight Ends
Kyle Rudolph
Rudolph has been way more involved in the offense over the last two weeks (eight catches on nine targets), and I expect that to continue tonight. He’s always a great choice in the red zone due to his size, and I can easily see him catching a short TD.
Irv Smith, Jr.
The Vikings play a ton of two TE sets, and Smith has become a sneaky source of production. Last week was the perfect storm for him as the Lions game became a shootout. I don’t think that will happen two weeks in a row, so better off leaving him on your bench in Week 8.
Jeremy Sprinkle
If it’s come to you starting Sprinkle, then we at FullTime Fantasy haven’t done our jobs well enough.
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