Week 9 vs Detroit
Things went back to normal for Cousins last week as he only threw the ball 14 times for 11 completions. Cousins also threw for 160 yards and one touchdown and fortunately zero interceptions this time around. The passing game wasn’t necessary in this one as Dalvin Cook went absolutely nuts running the ball 30 times for 163 yards and three scores.
Week 9 will have Cousins face off against division rival Detroit and the 13th ranked aFPA defense against QBs this season. While the Lions have a strong passing defense, they are ranked 30th in aFPA to RBs this year, which might call for another heavy running attack for the offense. Keep Cousins as a QB2 in this one.
Week 8 at Green Bay
Heading into last week’s bye, Cousins had his best game of the season against Atlanta as he finished with a season-high 343 yards, three touchdowns, but still had three interceptions. Cousins’ 10 interceptions tie Carson Wentz for most in the league, and the 343 yards he passed for in Week 6 was the first time all season he threw for 300 yards. Cousins has not been particularly good all season but his Week 8 matchup against Green Bay gives some cause for hope as he had a serviceable 259 passing yard and two touchdowns in their Week 1 contest. With Green Bay ranked 14th in aFPA to QBs, Cousins will be a QB2 and one of the more quality QB streamers this week
Week 6 vs Atlanta
Cousins saw season highs in passing attempts and completions last week against Seattle as he completed 27-of-39 of his passes and threw for 249 yards along with two scores and an interception. In a game that saw workhorse RB Dalvin Cook miss the second half with a groin injury, Cousins saw an uptick with both of his touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter.
Cousins has a prime matchup in Week 6 against an Atlanta defense that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing QBs. That along with Cook set to miss the game tees up Cousins to have his best game this season and arguably a low-end QB1.
Week 5 at Seattle
Cousins was back to highly efficient ways last week as he finished his matchup against Houston throwing for 260 yards and one touchdown completing 16-of-22 passes. This was Cousins first game this season without an interception as he’s second in the league in that category with six. It appears this Minnesota is settling into what it should have been all season—running through Dalvin Cook. Cook’s 27 rushing attempts surpassed Cousins pass attempts and made for more effective play-action passes and long completions for Adam Thielen and rookie sensation Justin Jefferson.
With Jefferson’s ascendence, Cousins now has an additional weapon to throw to, making him an appealing option in Week 5 against a Seattle defense that ranks 31st in aFPA to QBs this season. In what could end up being an under the radar shootout, Cousins has been upside here as high-end QB2, bordering on low-end QB1 potential.
Week 2 at Indianapolis
In Week 1’s surprising shootout of the week, Cousins threw the ball for 259 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 19-of-25 passing. He also ran for 34 yards in what turned out to be one of the better QB performances of Week 1. It’s difficult to say whether or not Cousins will continue to sling the ball downfield as he did last week or if Minnesota will go back to their heavy running style. The early negative game script called for more big plays, but a Week 2 matchup against the Colts should make this a closer game. Cousins is bordering QB2/3 territory in this game, making him viable in Superflex and two-QB leagues.
Week 1 vs. Green Bay
For being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in “real football,” Cousins was not usable for most weeks for fantasy purposes in 2019. Moreover, the Vikings trading away Stefon Diggs while beefing up the offensive line further reinforces this will continue to be a run-first team in 2020. Cousins should have a fine game throwing the ball mostly to Adam Thielen, however, he will be a QB2 for this one and should only be starting in two-QB and Superflex leagues.
Fantasy Upside
The 2019 season was arguably Kirk Cousins’ best in the NFL from an efficiency standpoint. While only called upon to throw the ball 444 times, Cousins ended the season with 26 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions and 3,603 passing yards in 15 games, good enough to finish as the QB16. In what was one of the league’s heaviest running schemes under then-offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, Cousins will head into 2020 with new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who’s Denver offenses the past 2 seasons finished 13th and 17th. Even with the departure of WR Stefon Diggs, Cousins still has his primary target in WR Adam Theilen, who missed 5 games last season and 2020 first-round pick WR Justin Jefferson. Above all however, the looming potential of a Dalvin Cook holdout can quickly change the identity of this team and create a serious uptick in Cousins pass attempts.
Fantasy Downside
As efficient as Cousins was from a football standpoint, his usage in 2019 was only worthwhile as a QB streamer as he only had 4 games with at least 20 fantasy points. His usage stems from the Vikings having the fourth-most running attempts (476) combined with one of the league’s best defenses. RB Dalvin Cook will look to be one of the league’s highest paid backs, and the franchise would be wise to oblige, thus spelling another season for minimal passing attempts for Cousins. Even if Cousins does manage to find himself in more shootouts this season, the departure of Diggs will cap his upside as the Minnesota receiving group is mostly barren outside of Thielen and the rookie Jefferson.
2020 Bottom Line
Kirk Cousins has shown the ability to produce fantasy points, however his current situation will make it hard for him to be a reliable contributor to any fantasy team. His 444 passing attempts were less than team’s 476 rushing attempts and there is little to implicate that changes—especially with the team being comfortable enough to move on from one of the most talented WRs in the in NFL in Stefon Diggs. We have Cousins ranked 18th amongst quarterbacks and his current ADP has him going in the 12th round in 12-team leagues. With the cluster of QBs going around Cousins ADP, you will not be hard pressed to find one with more weekly upside.
Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings are locked into the No. 6 seed of the playoffs, so they have nothing to play for in Week 17 against the Bears. It's unclear whether Kirk Cousins will even play at all, but he is active, we'd expect him to play only a few drives. Considering Minnesota's plan for Cousins isn't clear, it'd be smart to not even think about playing him.
Week 16 vs. Green Bay Packers
Kirk Cousins unsurprisingly struggled last week in a tough matchup, finishing with 207 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Part of that was a bad matchup, but another part was Minnesota's defense playing so well that Cousins didn't need to pass much. He may be relied on more this week as Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison are both expected to be inactive. It'll be a tough matchup against a Packers defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, but we still like Cousins as a lower-end QB1 play.
Week 15 at Los Angeles Chargers
Kirk Cousins was OK last week, finishing with 242 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Minnesota mostly relied on the run last game as they finished with 39 rush attempts compared to Cousins' 30 passes. Don't be surprised to see another down outing from Cousins this week as he gets a brutal matchup against the Chargers, who are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Cousins still has QB1 value based on the production we've seen from him this year (and the fact he could get Adam Thielen back), but he's on the lower end of that scale.
