Team Profile
Minnesota Vikings
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2.9% 15thOff DVOA
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24.7% 12thPassing DVOA
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-9.6% 19thRushing DVOA
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-15.4% 2ndDef DVOA
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-12.8% 1stDef Passing DVOA
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-20.2% 5thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For25.4 10th
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Points Against19.5 4th
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Yards Per Game347.0 12th
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Yards Allowed Per Game336.0 16th
The Minnesota Vikings are trading for running back Cam Akers. The Vikings will send the Houston Texans a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. Akers played six games for the Vikings in 2023 after his unceremonious departure from the Los Angeles Rams. He had been filling in for Joe Mixon in 2024 as the latter recovered from an ankle injury. During that time, Dare Ogunbowale emerged as a viable option. Dameon Pierce has also returned to the lineup from his own injury which made Akers expendable. The Vikings only had running backs Ty Chandler, Myles Gaskin, and Aaron Jones (hip) on their roster. With Jones ailing and limited depth behind him, the Vikings likely felt like they needed to make a move. Akers has familiarity with Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell due to their days in Los Angeles together. Akers has rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (hip) was seen on the practice field on Monday, which was a light bonus session for the team coming out of their bye week. ESPN's Kevin Seifert doesn't think that Jones is a lock to play in Week 7 versus the division-rival Detroit Lions. The Vikings essentially got a stretch in on Monday, so we won't have a better idea on the 29-year-old's Week 7 status until the team officially resumes practicing on Wednesday. Either way, fantasy managers may not be getting Jones back despite having the bye week to rest up. If Jones doesn't make enough progress in practice to play this weekend, the undefeated Vikings will move forward with Ty Chandler most likely seeing the lion's share of the backfield touches. Myles Gaskin would serve as the change-of-pace backup. Chandler is currently rostered in only 28% of Yahoo leagues and could be a nice waiver-wire pickup for those in need of a RB.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones struggled in Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, failing to find the end zone through the air or on the ground. Jones completed 22 of 41 passes for just 190 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception, averaging a meager 5.0 yards per attempt. He added 56 rushing yards, which helped pad his fantasy output, but two sacks and an overall lack of offensive efficiency limited his impact to just 12.8 fantasy points. Despite his mobility, Jones' poor passing performance continues to hold back his fantasy value, making him a risky QB option moving forward, especially against stronger defenses.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has had a solid start to the 2024 season, with 1,138 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions through five games. Coming off a 29-20 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, where he threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, Jones will look to build momentum against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. The Bengals' pass defense ranks 18th in the NFL, allowing 214 passing yards per game and 19.63 fantasy points to quarterbacks (28th in the league), making this a favorable matchup. With Cincinnati giving up two passing touchdowns per game, Jones has a solid chance to post another multi-touchdown outing, making him a viable streaming option for fantasy managers.
Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler is out of action this week on a bye, but after Aaron Jones (hip) suffered a hip injury in the Week 5 win over the New York Jets, Chandler could be in line to start in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. There will be plenty of updates on Jones' status next week, but fantasy managers needing help at running back should consider stashing Chandler in case the former Green Bay Packer is sidelined for longer than expected. The team is labeling Jones as "week-to-week," so he's not a lock to return immediately. Chandler was limited to just 39 yards on 16 touches in relief of Jones on Sunday, but he would enter the game as the clear RB1 against Detroit if Jones can't go. His upside would likely be limited against a strong Detroit front, but his potential usage would put him in RB2 territory, which is valuable for fantasy managers who have D'Andre Swift or Rico Dowdle on a bye next week.