Dalvin Cook – RB
After the first three weeks of last season, the Vikings thought they had already found the replacement for All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. Not only was Cook playing well, he was doing it at a record pace.
During Minnesota’s Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Cook set the Vikings’ all-time record for most rushing yards by a rookie in their first career game. His 288 total rushing yards after Week 3 also set a Minnesota record for the most gained by a rookie in the first three games of their career.
Then the unfortunate event happened in Week 4 when Cook was lost for the remainder of the 2017 season with a torn ACL. Had he remained healthy for all of 2017, Cook could have easily ended the season as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Currently the young running back is still recovering from his knee injury. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer recently said that Cook is ahead of schedule in his rehab and many expect him to be healthy enough to play in the team’s first regular season game of 2018.
How will he perform next season in John DeFilippo’s offense? Will Cook be better than ever in 2018 or will his knee injury have a bigger effect on his performance than people are predicting?