Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook assumed his usual rushing lead in Sunday's win over the Bears, racking up 18-94-2 on the ground to make fantasy football managers happy. But Alexander Mattison siphoned receiving opportunities for the 2nd straight week. Mattison drew 4 targets to Cook's 2, compared with the 18-9 carry split in Cook's favor. And Mattison actually ran 2 more routes than Cook this time after merely drawing close to Cook in that category in Week 4. This won't be a big issue as long as Minnesota wins but could cut into Cook's fantasy production when the Vikings trail. We'll watch to see if Minnesota alters the plan here as Cook moves further beyond his shoulder injury -- or if there's just a preference to get Mattison more involved with the passing game.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook overcame his Week 3 shoulder injury to assume his usual workload in Sunday morning's win over the Saints. He carried 20 times to Alexander Mattison's 3 and caught both of his targets. Cook collected a just-OK 86 total yards and didn't find the end zone. WR Justin Jefferson vultured a 3-yard rushing TD, and Mattison scored from 15 yards out on his only reception. Although Cook's Sunday didn't do much to help you fantasy football team, we'll at least count the workload and emerging from the game healthy as positives. He'll get a nice matchup with the Bears in Week 5 before a visit to Miami and then a Week 7 bye.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell again labeled RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) "day-to-day" on Wednesday. O'Connell added that they're hoping to at least get Cook some work in walkthroughs this week before deciding whether he can play vs. the Saints on Sunday morning. That makes Cook sound less certain for Week 4 than previous reports. Alexander Mattison is on standby as a RB1 if Cook misses.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell called RB Dalvin Cook "day to day" with the shoulder injury that knocked him out of Sunday's contest, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That follows in line with initial reports on Cook's status. It sounds like Minnesota expects Cook to be available for Week 4, but we'll have to track his status through the practice week.
Pro Football Talk hears that the "current expectation" is for Vikings RB Dalvin Cook to wear a brace on his injured left shoulder and play vs. the Saints in London next week. We wouldn't go locking Cook into Week 4 fantasy lineups just yet but will track Cook's status throughout this coming week. RB Alexander Mattison should be owned in all fantasy leagues in case Cook misses further time.
RB Dalvin Cook amassed just 17 yards on 6 carries as the Vikings got whipped by the Eagles on Monday night. Cook was matched in rushing yards by WR Jalen Reagor's lone carry and beaten by QB Kirk Cousins' 2 rushes for 20 yards. Cook added 4-19 receiving on 6 targets, on a night where Minnesota could get nothing going. RB Alexander Mattison contributed 8 yards on 2 carries and 3 catches for 6 yards on 5 targets.
Vikings insider Chris Tomasson hears that the team is "open to trading" RB Alexander Mattison. He's entering the final year of his rookie deal, and no progress has been made on a contract extension. Of course, "open to trading" is much different from "likely to trade." We'll see if another team makes a legitimate offer for Mattison. A move out of Minnesota would be good news for his 2022 fantasy value. And it'd leave RBs Kene Nwangwu and rookie Ty Chandler behind Dalvin Cook on the depth chart.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer said Monday that he's "hopeful" to get RB Dalvin Cook back for Sunday night's game vs. the Packers. Cook is eligible to be activated from the COVID list on Saturday, so there won't be any surefire news on his Week 17 status until then. If Cook manages to play vs. Green Bay, he'd do so without a single practice rep this week. But we'd still expect to see him in a high-volume role.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook has been placed on the COVID list. That very likely knocks him out of Sunday's game vs. the Rams and means another start for RB Alexander Mattison, who just came off the COVID list on Wednesday. As we've seen both this season and last, Mattison is a high-end RB1 whenever Cook is out.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison has been activated from the COVID list. He'll be back to give RB Dalvin Cook a few breathers in Sunday's game vs. the Rams.
The Vikings have placed RB Alexander Mattison on the COVID list. They also claimed RB Wayne Gallman off waivers from the Falcons. These moves shouldn't really matter for fantasy football purposes, with Dalvin Cook back. But we'll keep our fingers crossed that Mattison's COVID situation doesn't affect Cook as well.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is officially active for tonight's game vs. the Steelers. It's a much quicker return than expected after he dislocated and torn the labrum in his left shoulder 11 days ago. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Cook is expected to play with a harness on the injured shoulder tonight, which figures to impact his pass-catching ability. And he's still at risk of re-injury. But Schefter also said that Cook is expected to get his "regular workload." That makes him tough to bench in fantasy -- although he certainly comes with elevated risk.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports not only that Vikings RB Dalvin Cook will play tonight, but also that "expectations are that Cook maintains his regular workload." Cook will play with a harness on his injured shoulder. Schefter points out that Cook also wore one in the Wild Card win at New Orleans nearly 2 years ago, a game in which Cook racked up 31 touches for 130 yards and 2 TDs. There's bound to be some risk to Cook tonight, but it sounds like you need to play him in your Week 14 lineups. Alexander Mattison becomes no more than an RB3 -- albeit with some upside if something goes wrong with Cook or the workload simply shakes out differently.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is "trending towards playing" vs. the Steelers tonight, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Cook dislocated his left shoulder and tore the labrum just 11 days ago. He still needs full medical clearance, per Pelissero, and would use a harness or some other form of added protection if he does play tonight. Cook would obviously carry elevated risk in fantasy lineups. But, if he's active, he'd be the preferred fantasy play over RB Alexander Mattison. We'll continue to look for updates on the situation.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers. He put in limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. Week 15 was believed to be the best-case scenario for Cook's return from his torn labrum, so we'd be surprised if he ended up playing in this one. But we'll find out for sure when Minnesota's inactives are released around 7 pm ET tomorrow.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. It's unclear exactly how much he did, and we'd still be shocked if he played vs. the Steelers on Thursday night. But this at least has him trending toward a Week 15 return.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Lions. It sounds like a Week 15 return is his best-case scenario. RB Alexander Mattison is a good bet for 20+ touches against Detroit’s 29th-ranked RB defense, making him an elite fantasy play.
The MRI on Vikings RB Dalvin Cook's left shoulder revealed a torn labrum, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's not a season-ending injury. "The hope is this is like 2019, when the team rests Cook a few games to have him healthy for a playoff run," Rapoport adds. Cook missed 2 games with that shoulder injury, which is what former NFL head team Dr. David Chao expects him to miss this time around. That'd put Cook back on the field for Week 15, giving starts to RB Alexander Mattison the next 2 weeks vs. the Lions and Steelers.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook suffered a shoulder injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the 49ers. He was in obvious pain, was carted back to the locker room and quickly ruled out. We'll update Cook's status when we know more, but this clearly looks like a potentially serious injury. Alexander Mattison will be a RB1 for however long Cook is out.
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