X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks - Minnesota Vikings 2022 Outlook

Dalvin Cook - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2022 fantasy football team preview for the Minnesota Vikings. Justin's fantasy football sleepers, breakouts, busts, or safe picks on the Titans based on ADPs.

Welcome to our fantasy football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks, a series on RotoBaller where our writers look at three key players on each NFL team. Today, we're talking about the Minnesota Vikings.

The fantasy star of the Vikings is Justin Jefferson, who we won't be talking about in this article, but only because I decided to turn the "lock" part into a chance to talk about fantasy football strategy. Jefferson is great. He's a high-end WR1. Draft him.

Below, you'll find a fantasy football breakout candidate, a fantasy football bust candidate, and a safe fantasy football pick for the Vikings based on early ADP for fantasy football drafts in 2022.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Fantasy Football Breakout: Irv Smith Jr.

Is this finally the year that Irv Smith Jr. breaks out?

Ranked as a mid-tier TE2 right now, Smith didn't play last season due to a meniscus injury. We last saw him on the field in 2020 when he was targeted 43 times, catching 30 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns. That was while he was splitting time with Kyle Rudolph.

Heading into 2022, here are the tight ends on the Vikings roster who aren't named Irv Smith Jr.: Ben Ellefson, Johnny Mundt, Zach Davidson, and Nick Muse.

Those four players have combined for 18 targets in the NFL.

Just based on that, it's safe to assume that the Vikings expect Smith to be the full-time tight end, even with him coming off of the injury.

New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Rams, which targeted the tight end position 94 times last year, the sixth-fewest amount of targets to that position in the league.

If Smith was splitting that low volume with multiple tight ends, I'd be worried. But based on roster construction, he isn't. And when Smith was getting a full-time workload over the last three weeks of 2020, he had a pair of touchdowns, with numbers that would average out over a full season to 62 catches for 680 yards and 11 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. In half-PPR, that's 165 fantasy points, which last season should have made him the overall TE4 behind Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, and Dalton Schultz. The 9.7 points per game would have been sixth.

Obviously, it's not as easy as taking a three-game sample and multiplying it. The touchdowns are the biggest thing that we'd likely see a drop from that calculation. But Smith has the upside to finish as a top-10 tight end and is currently being drafted as a TE2.

 

Fantasy Football Bust: Adam Thielen

Thielen is currently being drafted as a low-end WR3, which is a fine place for him to go. But if there's a Vikings player that crashes this year, it's probably Thielen.

Thielen will be 32 when the season starts and is entering his 10th season with the Vikings. He deal with an ankle injury near the end of last season.

Thielen has 24 touchdown catches over the last two seasons, which is...a lot, especially when you consider that he'd never had double-digit touchdowns in a season before 2020.

But that high touchdown rate is obscuring the fact that Thielen's involvement in the Vikings' offense has waned.

In 2018, Thielen completed his second 1,000-yard season in a row and averaged 85.8 yards per game. In 2021, he was at 55.8 yards per game.

His production has been dropping, but his ability to find the end zone has buoyed his fantasy numbers. Can he sustain that? Will health be an issue? There are just a few too many question marks with Thielen this year. If someone on this team crashes (not counting injury-related issues that could randomly pop up across the team), it's likely Thielen.

 

Fantasy Football Lock: Dalvin Cook/Alexander Mattison

Let's talk about a fun strategy. The days of needing insurance policies for your RB1 are basically over because a) there are fewer guys who have full control of a backfield and b) there are fewer guys who would have full control of a backfield if the guy ahead of them gets hurt.

But there is one scenario where stacking a team's running backs can be an extremely valuable move, and that's with the Minnesota Vikings.

While a new coaching staff could change things in Minnesota, I think the success of the run game is something that they should look at and decide to keep fairly similar to what they had in the past.

Dalvin Cook has never played a full season. It's a pretty safe bet to assume that he misses at least a few games because that always happens. Usually, you might not want to draft someone with that kind of injury concern, but Cook has simply been too good to ignore when he is on the field. Since 2019, he's played in 41 games and has averaged 93.9 rushing and 26.9 receiving yards per contest, with 36 total touchdowns in that span. When he's on the field, Cook's a high-end RB1.

And when he's not on the field, Alexander Mattison is a must-start player.

I swung over to RotoViz to use their game screener app, where you can break a player's stats down by who did/didn't play in a game.

Mattison had played in six games without Cook. In those games, he averages 20.38 PPR points per game, 20.17 rushing attempts, and 79.5 rushing yards. He's not quite to the Cook level, but he's proven to be a reliable fantasy option any time that Cook isn't active.

I see no reason to think that changes, which is why pairing Cook and Mattison and ensuring you get 17 weeks of high-end production from the running back position is my "safe" pick for the Vikings.

(Also, draft Justin Jefferson.)



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Xavier Edwards12 mins ago

Collects Four Hits
Pete Alonso20 mins ago

Comes Up Clutch
Jackson Merrill2 hours ago

Goes Deep After Inking Nine-Year Extension
Jrue Holiday2 hours ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets2 hours ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Luis Castillo2 hours ago

Finally Beats The Tigers On Wednesday
Al Horford2 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Seiya Suzuki2 hours ago

Carries Cubs Offense With Two Homers, Five RBI
Kristaps Porzingis2 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet3 hours ago

Out Versus Utah
Dennis Santana3 hours ago

Picks Up First Save Of The Year
Evan Phillips3 hours ago

Tony Gonsolin, Evan Phillips Starting Rehab Assignments
Dean Wade3 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
George Springer3 hours ago

Hits First Homer In Win Over Nationals
Alex Bregman3 hours ago

Considering Using Torpedo Bat
Trae Young3 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Wednesday
Freddie Freeman3 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Ozzie Albies3 hours ago

Moving To Leadoff Spot On Wednesday
Joel Embiid4 hours ago

Will Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On His Left Knee
Evgeni Malkin4 hours ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Freddy Peralta4 hours ago

Dazzles In No-Decision Against Royals
Filip Chytil4 hours ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Jackson Chourio4 hours ago

Picks Up Three Hits, First Homer In Extra-Innings Win
Declan Chisholm4 hours ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Michael Harris II4 hours ago

Sitting Against Lefty On Wednesday
Keaton Wallace4 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Wednesday
Samuel Girard4 hours ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Gunnar Henderson4 hours ago

To Make Another Rehab Appearance On Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta4 hours ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Paul Skenes4 hours ago

Wins His First Game Of The Season
Cole Ragans4 hours ago

Fans 10 In No-Decision On Wednesday
Eeli Tolvanen4 hours ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Ketel Marte4 hours ago

Agrees To Six-Year Extension With Diamondbacks
Jaden Schwartz4 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
Iván Herrera4 hours ago

Ivan Herrera Slugs Three Homers, Drives In Six In Win Over Angels
Brayan Bello6 hours ago

To Make Another Rehab Start On Sunday
6 hours ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
6 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Ketel Marte6 hours ago

Diamondbacks Working On Extension For Ketel Marte
6 hours ago

Emeka Egbuka To Fall To Round 2?
Los Angeles Rams6 hours ago

Rob Havenstein Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Cleveland Browns8 hours ago

Mike Hall Likely To Miss Offseason Program After Having Knee Surgery
New England Patriots8 hours ago

Christian Barmore Expected To Be Ready For Offseason Workouts
8 hours ago

Saints Expected To Visit With Quinn Ewers
Jake Moody8 hours ago

49ers To Bring In Competition For Jake Moody
Pittsburgh Steelers8 hours ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Green Bay Packers10 hours ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans11 hours ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett11 hours ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns11 hours ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals11 hours ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Dyami Brown11 hours ago

Jaguars Intrigued By Dyami Brown's Potential
Pittsburgh Steelers12 hours ago

All Options On The Table For Steelers At Quarterback
Jordan Mason12 hours ago

To Factor Into Short-Yardage, Goal-Line Situations
Bennedict Mathurin12 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Joe Milton III12 hours ago

Patriots Have Received Multiple Trade Inquiries For Joe Milton III
Myles Turner12 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford12 hours ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday12 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Jaylen Brown13 hours ago

Could Remain On The Shelf Wednesday
Cade Cunningham13 hours ago

Likely Out For Fifth Straight Game
Anthony Davis13 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Evan Bouchard14 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel14 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko15 hours ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson15 hours ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson15 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin15 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young20 hours ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama20 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim20 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Evan Engram21 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Caleb Williams22 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge22 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick1 day ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners1 day ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay1 day ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland1 day ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti1 day ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Guerschon Yabusele1 day ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jevon Carter1 day ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry1 day ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud1 day ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba1 day ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Troy Terry1 day ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jonathan Marchessault1 day ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere1 day ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn1 day ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro1 day ago

Returns Against Predators
Olli Määttä1 day ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth1 day ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp1 day ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim1 day ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood1 day ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau1 day ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole1 day ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens2 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman2 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones3 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry4 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF