In support of: Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels has been guided by a single goal since the first known U.S. delivery by a small group of Philadelphia citizens in 1954 – to support our senior neighbors to extend their independence and health as they age. What started as a compassionate idea has grown into one of the largest and most effective social movements in America, currently helping nearly 2.4 million seniors annually in virtually every community in the country.
Nominated by Austin Ebersole (@EbersoleAustin)
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: NFC North
2020 Finish: 7-9 (3rd in NFC North)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 52% (27th)
- Neutral Game Script: 50% (30th)
- Offensive Scheme: West Coast
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel = 29%
- 21 Personnel = 26%
- 12 Personnel = 22%
- 22 Personnel = 9%
- 02 Personnel = 7%
- 13 Personnel = 3%
- 01 Personnel = 1%
- 20 Personnel = 1%
- 23 Personnel = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer
Mike Zimmer is 67-47-1 (regular season) as the Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and like his quarterback, he is good but has never been considered elite. Mike Zimmer’s defense did not play well last season ranking 27th in total yards and 17th in forced turnovers while giving up the 6th most rushing yards and 8th most passing yards. This defense must improve if they want to get back to the playoffs. Offensively, the Vikings have struggled to create continuity with constant changes at the offensive coordinator and quarterback positions during his eight years in Minnesota. He is going on his sixth offensive coordinator in eight seasons, and he’s had Teddy Bridgewater (2014-15), Sam Bradford (2016), Case Keenum (2017), and Kirk Cousins (2018-present) behind center. If the Vikings fail to make the playoffs in 2021 the Vikings brass could opt to give Zimmer his walking papers.
Offensive Coordinator: Klint Kubiak
Klint Kubiak spent the last two seasons as the Quarterbacks Coach in Minnesota and will be entering the 2021 season as the Offensive Coordinator. Kubiak will be the sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons for the Vikings and will be replacing his father, Gary Kubiak, who is retiring after 23 years in the NFL. Klint is only 33 years old and should offer a more modern scheme, but make no mistake, this offense will run though Dalvin Cook. With Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen at wide receiver, you can expect a lot of play-action and a balanced offense as the Vikings had a 50% Pass Ratio on neutral game scripts in 2020. Kubiak has built a strong relationship with Cousins over the last two years and they will look to build on that in 2021.
Overall Rank: 17th/32
OL Room
LT Christian Darrisaw (Rookie)
Christian Darrisaw was an absolute monster at Virginia Tech in 2020 and the Minnesota Vikings may have locked up their left tackle for the next ten-plus years. In 2020 he played 293 pass block snaps and did not give up a single sack or hit on his quarterback. Darrisaw comes to the NFL with outstanding upper body strength and an elite punch against the rush. He will need to work on his technique against outside speed rushers.
LG Wyatt Davis – PFF 66.3, Pass Blocking 67.1, Run Blocking 66.4
Wyatt Davis did not jump off the screen when watching film and didn’t make the jump from 2019 to 2020 that many expected, but he’s very good in pass protection and has above average balance and physical tools that should translate at the NFL level. Fun fact, his grandfather Willie Davis, is a former Green Bay Packer legend and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.
C Garrett Bradbury – PFF 61.4, Pass Blocking 38.8, Run Blocking 69.3
Garrett Bradbury was the 18th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and has not lived up to expectations. He is more than efficient enough in the run game but has been horrendous in the passing game over the last two years with PFF Grades of 41.4 and 38.8 which placed him last out of 36 centers graded in 2020. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus recently wrote an article about the biggest draft mistake made by each NFL team over the last five years and selected Garrett Bradbury for the Minnesota Vikings. His only saving grace is the scheme the Vikings run as they ranked 27th in the league in Pass Ratio which allows some of Bradbury’s weaknesses to be covered up.
RG Ezra Cleveland – PFF 66.2, Pass Blocking 52.0, Run Blocking 67.5
Ezra Cleveland played his entire career at Boise State at let tackle, but with veteran Riley Reiff holding down that spot in 2020, they decided to move him to right guard in training camp. That decision paid off when an opportunity opened after injuries to Pat Eflein and Dru Samia. Cleveland took full advantage and remained the starter for the last nine games of the season and showed enough to make the move to right guard a permanent one.
RT Brian O’Neill – PFF 78.0, Pass Blocking 69.3, Run Blocking 83.7
Brian O’Neill is coming off his best season in 2020 including a top ten finish in the run game. There was some discussion that the Vikings might move O’Neill to left tackle after cutting veteran Riley Reiff who was the starter at left tackle over the last four years. Fortunately, that will not be the case after the Vikings drafted Darrisaw to lock up the left side.
New Toys: Mason Cole
Old News: Brett Jones (15/2), Riley Reiff (15/15)
Overall Rank: 23rd/32
QB Room
Kirk Cousins (QB20)
Kirk Cousins has been nothing if not consistent. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2015 with the Washington Football Team, you can pretty much lock him into 4,000 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, and around 10 interceptions every year and on a team that finishes around .500. Outside of the team record, Kirk has put up outstanding numbers during his career, but never seems to get the credit that he deserves. Wins are not a quarterback stat but Cousins, more than any other quarterback, seems to always be in the conversation when it comes to quarterbacks who struggle against winning teams. He has started 42 games against teams with a winning record and is 7-35 (.167) in those games. With that said, from an offensive perspective, there are no excuses for the Vikings in 2021 with an offense that features a top five running back in Dalvin Cook, two top wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and a rising start in Irv Smith Jr. at tight end. The question is can Kirk Cousins finally lead a team to a deep run in the playoffs?
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 554 attempts, 68.1%, 4587 yards, 33 touchdowns
Rushing: 39 attempts, 141 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 309.6
New Toys: Kellen Mond
Old News: Sean Mannion
Position Fantasy Rank: 22nd/32
RB Room
Dalvin Cook (RB3)
Dalvin Cook simply gets better every year and has absolutely paid off for the Vikings who traded up in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft to select the Florida State running back 41st overall. Over the last two years Dalvin Cook has amassed 3,572 yards from scrimmage with an average of 5.4 yards per touch and 30 total touchdowns. In 2019 he finished 10th in rushing yards with 1,135 and then in 2020 he finished second with 1,557 yards behind only Derrick Henry who had 56 more rushing attempts. Last season he finished in the top six in several lead measures including carries (312-2nd), red zone touches (66-1st), total touchdowns (17-2nd), fantasy points per game (23.7-2nd), evaded tackles (106-2nd), juke rate (29.8%-6th), and yards created (660-2nd). Simply put, Dalvin Cook is very good at football.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 324 attempts, 1556 yards, 13 touchdowns
Receiving: 78 targets, 56 receptions, 497 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 357.1
Alexander Mattison (RB52)
Alexander Mattison enters his third season in the NFL after being drafted out of Boise State in 2019. In his two seasons as a back-up behind Cook, he has 1,103 yards from scrimmage and 5.0 yards per touch. In his two games as a starter he has 35 touches for 175 yards, but only averages 3.9 yards per carry when he is the lead back compared to a career 4.7 as a complimentary back. If Cook misses time don’t expect to see RB1 numbers from Mattison as he does not have the speed or elusiveness that Cook gives this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 103 attempts, 464 yards, 3 touchdowns
Receiving: 28 targets, 18 receptions, 162 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 98.6
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Mike Boone (16/0)
Position Fantasy Rank: 8th/32
WR Room
Justin Jefferson (WR4)
Justin Jefferson was the fifth wide receiver drafted in 2020 coming out of LSU behind Henry Ruggs III (12), Jerry Jeudy (15), CeeDee Lamb (17), and Jalen Reagor (21). It was not because his numbers at LSU didn’t stand out or that he didn’t play against elite competition. In his final season at LSU he had 111 receptions, 1540 yards, and 18 touchdowns before declaring for the NFL Draft. Do you think the Raiders, Broncos, and Eagles wish they would have drafted Jefferson? You bet your ass they do! All Jefferson did in his rookie year was finish with 125 targets, 88 receptions, 1400 yards, and 7 touchdowns in only 14 games. He finished his rookie season third in receiving yards (1400), 4th in yards per target (11.2), and 5th in yards per route run (2.65) and will be even better in 2021 as I expect him to take over the WR1 role in Minnesota and see more red zone targets.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 161 targets, 109 receptions, 1682 yards, 13 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 355.4
Adam Thielen (WR24)
Adam Thielen was a red zone monster in 2020 and you can see the trust he’s developed with Cousins over the last three seasons. During that time, he has played in 41 games and averages 7.5 targets, 5.3 receptions, 66 yards, and 0.7 touchdowns per game. In 2020, Cousins targeted him in the red zone 20 times which ranked third among wide receivers. Thielen hauled in 14 touchdowns in 2020, but with the emergence of Justin Jefferson, I expect to see some regression in 2021. It feels like Adam Thielen is 35 years old but he enters the 2021 season just shy of his 31st birthday, so he still has plenty to offer this upcoming season. Together, Thielen and Jefferson make one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 127 targets, 87 receptions, 1100 yards, 9 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 250.6
New Toys: Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 14th/32
TE Room
Chris Herndon (TE29)
Chris Herndon showed promise in his rookie season after being drafted in the fourth round out of Miami. He finished the season with 39 receptions, 502 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He showed an ability to win at all three levels of the field and was not afraid to go over the middle and make contested catches. The hype was real entering the 2019 season, but he was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Just as it looked like he was ready to return to the field he suffered a hamstring injury and then a fractured rib. He would only play in 1 game and contributed a whopping 1 reception for 7 yards before his season came to an end. Again, in 2020 he showed flashes, but we are all still waiting to see if he will ever exceed expectations.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 44 targets, 31 receptions, 344 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 83.4
Tyler Conklin (TE52)
Tyler Conklin will replace Kyle Rudolph in this offense in multiple tight end formations and be the complimentary piece to Chris Herndon. Conklin had his best production in 2020 with 19 receptions for 194 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. The Vikings tight end room had a 22% target share last season, but with Rudolph now in New York and Irv Smith Jr out for the season I expect this to be closer to 17-19%, but Conklin will see opportunities.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 22 targets, 16 receptions, 160 yards, 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 43.5
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Kyle Rudolph (12/12)
Position Fantasy Rank: 26th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #6 (.537 137-118-1)
2021 Predicted Finish: 8-9 (3rd NFC North)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
