The Viking Age
FanSided

2018 Minnesota Vikings fantasy football forecast: Defense/special teams

By Adam Carlson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Anthony Barr #55 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with Eric Kendricks #54 and Andrew Sendejo #34 after a interception against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Anthony Barr #55 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with Eric Kendricks #54 and Andrew Sendejo #34 after a interception against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 14, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but should they be one of the first defense/special teams units picked in fantasy football?

There is no doubt that opposing teams fear when they must face the Minnesota Vikings. Their defense is massively intimidating, with a strong front four, dynamic linebackers, and amazing talent in the secondary.

However, excellent play on defense doesn’t always translate into fantasy football success, especially when the defense is combined with special teams and points are weighted toward touchdowns and turnovers instead of stops.

So, when should you be looking at the Vikings defense and what should you expect from them in terms of point production? Well, let’s take a look at their results from the last two seasons to get an idea. Here are the numbers according to FantasyData.com:

  • 2016: 14 INTs, 13 fumble recoveries, 2 touchdowns – 156 points (2nd)
  • 2017: 14 INTs, 5 fumble recoveries, 1 touchdown – 117 points (14th)

As you can see, Minnesota cultivated fewer turnovers in 2017 than in 2016 and had fewer defensive/return touchdowns. Despite that, Minnesota still had a dominating defense that wasn’t reliant on creating turnovers, but that sadly didn’t translate into fantasy points.

Speaking of points, the experts have weighed in on how they believe the team will do in this category. Here is what they are predicting:

While the rule of thumb is to wait until the last several rounds to draft your kicker and defense, many draft managers want to fill their starting rosters or want one of the elite teams at positions and select early, meaning you may need to follow suit if you want Minnesota.

On the ESPN Top 300 non-PPR rankings, Minnesota is listed 172nd, as the 4th best defense/special teams unit available. This means if you want to select them, you’ll need to keep a firm eye on your draft.

By looking at those rankings, it’s easy to tell that the Vikings should be one of the first defense and special teams units off the board. However, more emphasis will need to be placed on who wins the kick and punt return battle in training camp this year to get a better understanding of who will be handling those duties before a clearer picture can be made.

The defense can be relied on for some turnovers and holding teams to low point outputs, but the real explosion comes when touchdowns and scored, and that hasn’t been a strength of either the return unit or defense the last two seasons.

If you really want Minnesota Vikings defense, waiting until the fourth to the last round would be the absolute soonest you would want to draft them, with the third to the last being far more of a realistic target.

The Viking Age predicts that Minnesota will accumulate approximately 112 fantasy points this year in standard scoring format, making them a solid addition to your roster.

light. Read. Way too early Vikings 2018 record prediction

Where would you draft the Minnesota Vikings in your fantasy football draft? And what teams would you select before them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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