Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Start/Sit: Week 3 vs. the Oakland Raiders

Vikings to start in Week 3:

Kirk Cousins – QB

Kirk Cousins has been off to a rocky start. The first week, he threw just ten passes. Week 2 saw Cousins be inconsistent, miss throws, and be on completely different pages than his receivers.

There were a few instances when you go back and watch the game against the Green Bay Packers, you can point out the miscues.

Kyle Rudolph stopped his route at the goal line and Cousins threw the ball to the soft part of the zone that was in the back of the end zone. Cousins didn’t see Stefon Diggs one-on-one with a safety and checks the ball down. Cousins was a second late and misses the window in the zone to hit Diggs and the ball is intercepted.

All these mistakes led to a dreadful Week 2, but you can bet the Cousins and the Vikings offense are embarrassed and will look to rebound in a huge way.

Dalvin Cook – RB

Dalvin Cook has easily been the MVP through two weeks for the Minnesota Vikings and fantasy owners alike. He currently sits second in points for PPR leagues and looks to continue his upward trajectory.

His 265 yards and three touchdowns are something to really get excited about, and the fact that he’s averaging 6.5 yards per carry is a tremendous sign. This offensive line has played very well in the running game opening up good running lanes for not only Cook but Alexander Mattison as well.

The Raiders defense has been fairly stingy in the running game, as they have yet to allow 100 yards rushing in a game this season. Cook will look to change that this week with a big game.

Adam Thielen – WR

This is the week to get excited about our receivers. Adam Thielen, in particular, has been good but not great so far this season but Week 3 is where he will turn it around.

As mentioned with Cousins earlier, the Vikings were thoroughly embarrassed by their division rivals last week and should look to make a statement through the air. T

hough the target volume hasn’t been there for Thielen and the Vikings passing threats, the Raiders have allowed nearly 500 yards receiving through the first two weeks. The Vikings and Thielen look to add to that number.

Stefon Diggs – WR

Stefon Diggs has been anything but consistent to start the season and he hasn’t been what you expected when you drafted him to your fantasy team. Expect that to change this week, plain and simple.

Diggs could have had a much more productive fantasy week against the Packers if it wasn’t for a ticky-tack offensive pass interference call on Dalvin Cook that nullified a touchdown by Diggs.

Also, the interception by Kevin King on the fade to the back corner of the end zone to Diggs was a blown call as well. If Diggs isn’t interfered with there, there’s a chance he comes down with the ball. Nonetheless, King should not have been awarded the interception and Diggs could have had another shot at the end zone.

This week, he gets a much easier matchup against a weak secondary in Oakland. Expect Diggs to exploit it.

Raiders to start in Week 3:

Josh Jacobs – RB

You can make the case that Josh Jacobs has been the best rookie so far this season. He’s carried this Oakland Raiders team and has looked like a veteran running the ball. He was added to the injury report this week, though it does appear he will suit up.

This Vikings defense was gashed last week in the running game, giving up nearly 150 yards to the Packers. With two productive fantasy football weeks against two solid defenses, Jacobs will look to continue his early career success running the ball and will be a solid RB2 option for fantasy owners.

Tyrell Williams – WR

With all the offseason nonsense of Antonio Brown and all the talks of who is going to be the guy to step up in the receiving game, Tyrell Williams has quietly done so. He’s put up 151 yards and two touchdowns and has caught 11 balls in the first two games of the season.

He’s becoming Derek Carr‘s favorite target, and he will look for that to continue against the Vikings secondary that got torched badly the first two weeks of the season. They’ve allowed a total of 463 yards passing and have looked below average in the process. Harrison Smith has consistently been turned around and the play-calling on passing downs for the Vikings defense has been questionable.

Last week they lined up Eric Wilson in the slot against Davante Adams which is something you definitely don’t want to see if you’re a Vikings fan. But if you’re a Raiders fan and a Williams owner in fantasy football, you can hold out hope that he has a big game against the Vikings.