Fantasy football impact: Recent trends and stories to know

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CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 18: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks on from a huddle in action during a NFL game between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings on November 18, 2018 at Soldier Field, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Trouble in the Heartland of Minneapolis

Well I did say I was going to get to some of the negatives. As much as I don’t like writing negative pieces about players it is necessary to talk about this considering how disappointing things have been for Minnesota’s receivers. I will try and keep this part as brief and painless as possible for all you folks out there.

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We all know how good both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are, but they have failed to live up to their respective potentials because of their quarterback. The man that Minnesota went out and spent $84 million for three years with the Vikings last year, better known as Kirk Cousins.

Many were expecting huge things from Thielen and Diggs now that they had upgraded from Case Keenum to Kirk Cousins in a matter of a few months. Sadly, that has not been the case. The first half of 2018 went well for the two premier receivers in Minnesota as Thielen was WR1 and Diggs WR9. Then the wheels came off during the second half as they both ended up outside the top-15 in terms of fantasy points scored.

Things haven’t gotten much better since then. Thielen is currently WR38 and fellow wideout Diggs is WR67 during the first two games of the year.

Week 1 was particularly dreadful as Cousins only threw the ball just ten times for the entirety of the game against the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins has completed a little above 50.0% of his passes this year and has only attempted throwing the ball 42 times which is 31st among active quarterbacks. With Diggs and Thielen not getting enough targets (4.5 and 5.5 respectively), it’s going to very difficult for them to produce at a premium in fantasy.

They have essentially become touchdown-dependent and without those six points, it’s a very forgettable day. Unfortunately, they have combined for touchdowns in those games, meaning that it’s a fifty-fifty shot for one of them to score.

We can also thank Dalvin Cook for eating into their usage as well. In these two games alone, Cook has the second-most carries among running backs and is involved in a little over 70.0% of the team’s snap shares. While I’m genuinely glad Cook is thriving after having a rough start to his career, it’s having an adverse effect on Diggs and Thielen.

Cousins needs to start targeting his top receivers in order for them to be big contributors to fantasy teams once again. It’s upsetting to see these two highly talented receivers struggle. Hopefully, they’ll find a way out of this funk soon.

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