4 Vikings players whose stock has risen during the 2020 season
By Dean Jones
Dalvin Cook – RB
It’s hard to envision a situation where Dalvin Cook‘s stock could get any higher at this point. The star running back has been at the top of his game for the Vikings once again in 2020 and tying him down to a long-term deal was a fantastic piece of business from the organization prior to the campaign.
Cook has elevated his game to a level that now sees him enter the conversation for best dual-threat back in the league. Alvin Kamara would obviously have something to say about that and it’s easy to forget about the talents of Christian McCaffrey since he’s appeared in just three games this season.
The former second-round pick has the chance to go over 2,000 all-purpose yards with a strong showing in Minnesota’s final game against the Detroit Lions in Week 17. Considering the Lions’ capitulation at home to the Buccaneers, a win seems like a virtual guarantee for the Vikings providing they keep him in the backfield for the entire game with little else to play for other than pride.
If there was one knock on Cook’s exceptional 2020 production, it is his inability to hold onto the football in key moments. He has fumbled five times this season to take his career tally to 12 in 42 games, which really needs to come down as the player enters his prime.
That is just splitting hairs where Cook is concerned and the Vikings wouldn’t have even been in a position to secure an unlikely playoff spot had it not been for his high-level of performances.