Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Start/Sit: Week 2 vs. the Green Bay Packers

Vikings to sit in Week 2:

Kirk Cousins – QB

Is there much more of an easier choice than to sit Kirk Cousins this week? After watching him throw just 10 passes last Sunday, he should be on your bench if you started him last week.

It’s a pretty safe bet that he will throw more passes on Sunday, but you can’t count on them being high quality. This Packers defense is for real this year. They have a very good pass rush and a few really good corners and safeties on the backend that could make this a tough week for Cousins.

If you play in a two QB league, you can count on him as a low-end QB2. But if you play in a one QB league, go search the waiver wire or examine other options for this week.

Stefon Diggs – WR

Stefon Diggs was a sit last week and he is a sit again this week. This is not a rip on Diggs’ ability at all, just the matchup he faces this week and the Vikings are likely going to want to run the football a bunch as well.

Last week, Diggs saw two passes come his way, which he caught, but he ended up with just 37 receiving yards. Not something fantasy owners were expecting from him unless you read the Week 1 start/sit.

Diggs has a touchdown in every game but two that he has played against the Packers, and the two contests that he didn’t get a touchdown in were during his rookie season. He’s had success in Green Bay in the past, which fantasy owners and Minnesota fans are hoping for on Sunday. But with the low passing volume the Vikings could end up with again, he needs to be on your bench again this week.

Kyle Rudolph – TE

Another decision that should be fairly easy for fantasy owners is to sit Kyle Rudolph. The expectations for Rudolph from many fantasy experts coming into this season were low, especially with the Vikings drafting Irv Smith Jr. in this years NFL Draft.

Fantasy owners that started Rudolph in Week 1 saw him go without a catch against the Falcons, but they also saw him out there for 100 percent of the Vikings snaps on offense while Smith saw under half of the snaps.

That’s a good sign moving forward, but with Cousins not throwing the number of pass attempts he did last year, the receiving volume just isn’t there and fantasy owners can’t expect a large amount of production from the tight end position in Minnesota this week.

Packers to sit in Week 2:

Aaron Rodgers – QB

It’s going to be a hard task to do, but sitting Aaron Rodgers this week will be in your best interest. We all know Week 1 is a bit of a feeling-out process for teams, especially teams that sit their stars for the majority, if not all, of the preseason. But with what the Vikings did to Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and those offensive weapons last Sunday, it’s alright to be nervous about starting the Packers stars this week.

If you watched their Thursday night football game against the Bears, you could clearly see what an elite defense can do to Rodgers. Minnesota’s defense looks like they could be back in elite form and they could very well wreak havoc on Rodgers and Green Bay this week.

Davante Adams – WR

Davante Adams is going to be nearly impossible for just about any fantasy owner to sit on any given week. But if you can find a replacement for him, this will be the week to do it.

Adams has yet to top 70 receiving yards against the Vikings since coming into the league in 2014, After watching Minnesota’s pass defense last week, it’s a safe bet that more of the same will occur.

The only thing that saved Adams’ fantasy football production over the last few games were his touchdowns. You can’t rely on Adams to get too many touchdowns this week going against what already looks like one of the better defenses the Vikings have had recently.

Aaron Jones – RB

For what was said about Rodgers and Adams, the same could be said for Aaron Jones. Minnesota’s defense is looking as good as ever and they should stifle the Packers’ run game and make it a pain for Jones’ fantasy owners.

Green Bay’s running game has been in shambles for a while now when looking at it from a fantasy football perspective. When Mike McCarthy was at the helm, you never knew who to start.

They always seem to have two backs that they like to use. Jones got more work last week, however, as he had 13 carries to Jamaal Williams’ five. With the workload being so scarce and the Vikings’ defense looking stout, you will need to find a different running back to start in Week 2.

Jimmy Graham – TE

It’s Week 2 and everyone is beginning to get excited about Jimmy Graham again. But in all honesty, he just isn’t what he used to be when he was in New Orleans with Drew Brees and company. He had a touchdown last Thursday which saved his week and the Packers’ week also.

Don’t go into Week 2  and expect much success from him against the Vikings. You can look at what Austin Hooper did in Week 1 against Minnesota and find a little glimmer of hope for Graham, as Hooper had 77 yards and he caught all nine of his targets. But Hooper is also at a different point in his career than Graham.

Hooper is an athletic tight end just like Graham, but Hooper is in his prime and Graham has one foot out the door. Make sure you are sitting Graham on Sunday and don’t get fooled by his Week 1 success.