Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
- NFC North
- Stadium
- U.S. Bank Stadium
- Head Coach
- Mike Zimmer
- Offensive Coordinator
- Gary Kubiak
- Defensive Coordinator
- Adam Zimmer & Andre Patterson
- Special Teams Coach
- Marwin Maaloof
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Minnesota Vikings veteran safety and special teams contributor George Iloka (knee) suffered a torn ACL in practice on Wednesday and will undergo season-ending surgery, according to a league source. Iloka was put on Injured Reserve on Thursday after just signing with the team in September. His injury leaves rookie Josh Metellus as the only safety on the active roster behind Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. The 30-year-old Iloka had just six tackles (five solo) and one tackle for a loss in four games for Minnesota this season, but it's more bad news for a 1-5 Vikings whose defense ranks 28th in the league with 3.8 fantasy points per game.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said that quarterback Kirk Cousins' shaky start to 2020 hasn't caused the franchise to lose faith in the signal-caller after they gave him a two-year, $66 million contract extension this spring. "You just kind of have to go back and look at the big picture," Spielman said. "But I don't think anyone has lost any faith in Kirk Cousins. I expect him to come back after the bye week and play well for us." Cousins leads the NFL with 10 interceptions, but his 8.4 yards per attempt trails only Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and rookie Justin Herbert. Despite throwing three interceptions in the Week 6 loss to Atlanta, Cousins finished with over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns in garbage time to help fantasy managers who used him as a streamer. He'll be a QB2 when the team returns in Week 8 to face the Packers, but it doesn't sound like Minnesota has any plans to bench him anytime soon.
Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph is a name that multiple NFL teams have reportedly asked about ahead of the trade deadline on Nov. 3, according to Albert Breer of the MMQB. Minnesota has already moved defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore, an indication that the organization could be open for making other shrewd moves that look beyond 2020. Rudolph's role in the passing game has diminished from where it has been over the past decade, as he's compiled just 14 targets (10 receptions) over his first six games this year. With essentially little season-long value currently attached, Rudolph could benefit from a change of scenery in an offense that would be hoping to highlight his red-zone abilities. Stay tuned to see if Rudolph changes uniforms as the deadline approaches.
Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Danielle Hunter (neck) will have season-ending surgery to clean up a herniated disc in his neck. The Vikings will have to decide if they want to make Hunter the highest-paid defender in the league this offseason or trade him away. Minnesota was optimistic in August that Hunter could rehab his injury and return this year, but that didn't turn out to be the case. At 1-5 on the year, the Vikings Defense loses Hunter for the entire season after just trading Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens. The 25-year-old was a Pro Bowler each of the last two years while recording 14.5 sacks in each season as a top IDP pass-rusher. You can now safely drop him in single-year IDP formats.
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has found most of his red-zone success this year when he bounces his runs outside of the tackles. Cook has scored five of his six red-zone touchdowns in 2020 on runs outside the tackle box, recording the most such red-zone scores in the league among running backs despite missing Week 6 and half of Week 5 with a groin injury. Four of his red-zone touchdowns have come with quarterback Kirk Cousins under center. Cook has 88 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry) and an 88.2 percent success rate on his red-zone rushes this year. The Vikings have their bye this week and Cook is expected to return in Week 8 against the Packers. As one of the most productive running backs in the league, Cook is a must-start RB1 if he's active.