2018 fantasy football forecast: Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook had a hot start to his rookie season but should fantasy football GMs look to add the Minnesota Vikings running back to their 2018 roster?

One of the most important parts of doing a fantasy football draft is making sure you choose the right players at the top of the draft. Getting elite players can help your team succeed, and adding your favorite players like Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook can make it even more fun.

However, Cook is one of the more interesting prospects for fantasy GMs this year. Until a season-ending injury in Week 4 ended his rookie season, he was on track to have a monster year and make those who have him on their fantasy rosters very happy.

Cook has proved to be a threat both in the run game and as a receiver out of the backfield, making him an interesting option in drafts, particularly in PPR leagues. However, the concerns of having a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, and how he will return from his injury should all be taken into consideration.

To figure out when you should be looking at drafting Dalvin Cook in your fantasy league, let’s first examine how he has performed over the last two seasons in terms of point production according to FantasyData.com:

• 2016: Did not play – NCAA
• 2017: 354 rushing yards, 11 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns – 54.4 points

There are a few things that can be learned from these numbers. First, the Vikings liked to use Cook a lot when he was healthy, getting a bulk of the work at running back while Latavius Murray was used much less often.

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However, since Cook hasn’t played a full NFL season yet, it’s hard to project or estimate how productive he can be this season. Still, the fantasy experts have it an old college try and they ended up with some fairly consistent guesses.

Here are some projections for Dalvin Cook this season:

• ESPN: 265.6 PPR points – approximately 211.9 standard (7th)
• Fantasy Pros: 201.1 points (10th)
• NFL.com: 210.05 points (8th)
• FF Today: 210.9 points (7th)

Considering fantasy drafts this year should be very running back oriented in the beginning rounds, being between the 7th and 10th best at the position means that Cook should be among the first players off the board.

To make that point more clear, Cook sits 13th on the ESPN Top 200 non-PPR rankings, meaning that the Vikings running back could be a first-round selection in a 12-man league if you believe he will play the entire season and perform at a high level. In PPR leagues, his chances of being a first rounder increase.

As far as a projection, TVA predicts that Cook will net you approximately 205 points in a standard scoring league and should be looked at in the second round of your fantasy drafts since there are too many variables to pick him in the first.

Next: Predicting the Vikings 2018 record

Will you be using your first round pick in fantasy football on Dalvin Cook? Or will you wait and hope the Minnesota Vikings running back slides due to the concerns listed above? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.