Dalvin Cook’s contract holdout will have huge fantasy football implications
By John Buhler
Dalvin Cook plans to hold out for a new contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook intends to hold out for a new contract this offseason. The former second-round pick out of Florida State University wants something in the vicinity of Christian McCaffrey. While he may want that, he’s not going to get that. Regardless, he will get paid more than what he’s getting. How will a holdout impact this fantasy football season?
With Cook planning to hold out, it gives his Minnesota teammates like Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah even more clout in fantasy drafts. Add in Minnesota trading former wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills this offseason and the run-heavy Vikings offense could be even more ground-centric than it was a season ago.
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The Fantasy Footballers realize this and understand what happens when a running back of Cook’s caliber have held out in the past. Look no further than Melvin Gordon holding out with his former team in the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bolts were fine to use Austin Ekeler instead, leading to Gordon signing with the division rival Denver Broncos in his free agency this offseason.
Dalvin Cook’s holdout will have major fantasy football implications.
So what the guys are suggesting beyond getting Boone or Abdullah as a handcuff because well, duh, is to accept Cook won’t be as good as other running backs he’s slotted around in terms of ADP. In short, if you have to pick between Cook or someone like say, Kenyan Drake of the Arizona Cardinals, go with the Arizona running back, all things equal.
Cook has ever reason to hold out for more money. He hasn’t made a ton thus far in his NFL career out of Florida State. When he plays well, the Vikings’ offense is infinitely better. If the Vikings start dropping games because high-priced quarterback Kirk Cousins can’t carry them in his extended absence, Cook’s limited leverage will increase dramatically.
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Where you will feel the impact of Cook’s holdout the most coming draft time is how he’s viewed as an RB1 across the league. Under normal circumstances, you’d have no problem taking him with your first overall selection as your bell-cow. Now, he might drop in the second round and be a lower-end RB1 for you. If he misses anything, well, that changes everything then, doesn’t it?