Fantasy Football Player Profile: Dalvin Cook
![Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) celebrated his first quarter 13-yard touchdown run at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, MN.] The Minnesota Vikings hosted the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Jerry Holt • Jerry.holt@startribune.com(Photo By Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fbce94fb6fe3f911209e9f76fdaa20a68bc34d20e1183cacff787e437735a9a5c.jpg "Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) celebrated his first quarter 13-yard touchdown run at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, MN.] The Minnesota Vikings hosted the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Jerry Holt • Jerry.holt@startribune.com(Photo By Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)")
Welcome into the fifth Fantasy Football Player Profile, featuring Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook! Let’s look at how he could finish in 2019!
Fantasy Football season is closer than you think, so to get you prepared we’re going to be doing individual player profiles through the next few weeks! We’ll be recapping the 2018 season, looking at potential best and worst-case scenarios, and see what a dynasty outlook could be.
This is the fun part because I want you to get involved. I’m just picking players as things stand, but don’t be afraid to reach out on Twitter to me @bucn4life or tag me on the @fantasycpr account to let me know who you want to see next!
Dalvin Cook 2018 Recap
Cook is a very interesting case study in how you deal with injuries. This is the first of the profiles where we almost have to talk about injuries because it’s hard to frame Cook’s 2018 season without talking about them. So far in his two year career, he’s played in just 15 of a possible 32 games.
This past season saw him sneak into a finish of RB29 in .5 PPR settings even though he totaled under 930 yards from scrimmage and scored just four touchdowns. This came in just 11 total games and the points per game had Cook on a trajectory somewhere in the top 15. This finish isn’t having the slightest effect on his 2019 ADP, which sits at 17th overall and the 11th running back off the board.
The worst part of last season was the uncertainty. There were games that he was questionable for, he suited up and then only touched the ball 10 times. The prime example was against the Rams on a Thursday night early on. You don’t want to leave a stud running back on the bench, and Cook was active. Logic dictated if he wasn’t healthy, the Vikings would have sat him and got him healthy on the long week. Well, he played, had 10 carries for 20 yards and that was it. Cook only saw more than 15 carries there times last year. It’s a credit to the talent that he managed a top 30 finish.
Dynasty Outlook
This is difficult because I personally don’t chase running backs with a torn ACL on the record, nor playing under 50 percent of the games so far in his career. However, the price might not get lower. If Cook can stay healthy, he has flashed the talent to be a top 5-8 running back for fantasy football.
It’s not everyone’s favorite metric, but the 4.7 yards per carry is rock solid. He’s also shown passing game chops with 51 career receptions and almost 400 yards through the air. If you want to take the plunge with Cook and the talent, now is the time to do it. If selling, I’m using the ADP and the potential to my full advantage. I also have a feeling that the ceiling could be ahead of him, so someone has to come get him.