Week 3 vs. Oakland Raiders
Kirk Cousins was forced to throw the ball more than 10 times in Week 2, but it wasn't pretty. He completed just 14 of his 32 passes, finishing with 230 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His 20 completions on the season are just three more than Luke Falk, who has only played 48 snaps this season. For comparison, Cousins has played 118 snaps.
He does get a favorable matchup this week as the Raiders have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. But Cousins has looked bad and Minnesota is very run-heavy. Cousins isn't the worst option in the world, but you can probably start someone better in Week 3.
Week 2 at Green Bay Packers
Our worst fears about the Vikings' offense were put on full display in Week 1 as Kirk Cousins finished the game with just 10 passing attempts. This obviously led to a low yardage day as he had just 98 passing yards. He did end up with two scores (one on the ground), but those numbers are very worrisome moving forward.
We should see more than 10 pass attempts this week against the Packers, but it may not be enough. Green Bay showed off a tough defense in Week 1. And when you combine that with Minnesota's desire to run the ball, you get a bad fantasy option in Cousins.
Week 1 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins was solid last year, finishing with 4,298 passing yards and a career-high 30 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. But his passing numbers went down in the back half of the season when Kevin Stefanski took over offensive coordinator duties, and Stefanski returns in 2019. Cousins has arguably the best WR duo in the league in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, so there are bound to be games where he plays well. But expect a run-first approach from Minnesota, which will limit Cousins' production.
As for Week 1, he draws what should be a favorable matchup against the Falcons. Atlanta gave up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2018. Atlanta is healthier this year, so the defense should improve, but there weren't too many changes made otherwise. Cousins is a low-end QB1 play this week.
Fantasy Upside
Kirk Cousins was incredibly efficient in 2018, completing 70% of his passes for 4,300 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He finished 13th overall in fantasy scoring for quarterbacks. Cousins has a stacked offense surrounding him with two Pro Bowl wideouts in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. He finished with 20+ fantasy points in half his starts, and only finished below 10 once in 2018. He was an average option, but his consistency made him an underrated fantasy asset.
Fantasy Downside
The Vikings switched to offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski late last season, and the small sample size doesn’t bode well for Cousins heading into 2019. Minnesota ran the ball more often in the final three games, dropping Cousins’ pass attempts per game from 40.3 to 27.3. If Dalvin Cook stays healthy this season, expect a run-heavy approach from Minnesota.
2019 Bottom Line
Cousins had his moments in 2018, but overall there’s not a lot of excitement in selecting Cousins. He threw for under 300 yards in 11 of his 16 starts last season, resulting in half his games finishing below 20 fantasy points. With an expected drop in pass attempts this season, Cousins doesn’t offer a lot of value. He should be viewed as a below-average option in the double digit rounds of your fantasy drafts.
Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears
In the two games since Minnesota has switched offensive coordinators, Kirk Cousins has had two of his three lowest games when it comes to pass attempts. Lower attempts lead to lower fantasy production, making Cousins a tough QB to trust. Making matters worse is the fact he's going against a tough Bears defense, a team he struggled against earlier in the year. Cousins is just outside of QB1 range and he'll be a bust option in a brutal matchup.
Week 16 at Detroit Lions
The Vikings put up 41 points last week, but Kirk Cousins played a small role in that. The QB had just 14 completions for 215 yards. He did score twice, but with Dalvin Cook healthy now it appears Minnesota is leaning more on the ground game. It's also telling that in the first game with a new OC, Cousins put up a season low in completions and pass attempts (21).
His previous low was set against the Lions earlier in the year, which was also his lowest yardage output (164) of the season. He faces Detroit again this week, so perhaps a similar story will unfold. Cousins can be viewed just outside of QB1 range this week against the Lions.
Week 15 vs. Miami Dolphins
Kirk Cousins had another poor outing last week, finishing with 208 yards and one touchdown, which came on the team's final drive in garbage time. He now has six games with just one touchdown this season, making him hard to completely trust as a fantasy option.
However we have seen him take advantage of good matchups this year, and that's what he gets this week against the Dolphins. Miami has been good at forcing turnovers, but are allowing the eighth-most passing yards per game (262) and the fifth-highest yards per attempt (8.1). They've also allowed the ninth-most passing touchdowns. We like Cousins as a lower-end QB1 this week.
Week 14 at Seattle Seahawks
Kirk Cousins had a pretty rough game last week, finishing with 201 yards on 44 pass attempts. He scored just once while throwing two interceptions. Cousins has played well at times this season, but he also has five one-score games, which makes him hard to trust as a weekly QB1.
He gets a tough matchup this week against the Seahawks who are allowing the 10th-fewest fantasy points to QBs. Although Seattle has given up six straight games of two passing touchdowns. Expect a mediocre effort from Cousins, putting him just outside QB1 range for Week 14.
Week 13 at New England Patriots
Once again, Kirk Cousins had a big game against the Packers. He finished with 342 yards and three touchdowns in one of his best fantasy games of the season. He now has five 300+ games this year as he's on pace for a career season.
His success should continue this week in a decent matchup against the Patriots. These two powerful offenses could get into a bit of a shootout, resulting in big numbers for Cousins. He can be viewed as a low-end QB1.
Week 12 vs. Green Bay Packers
Kirk Cousins played decently vs. Chicago, finishing with two TDs and two INTs with 262 yards. Cousins' numbers have fallen off a bit from the start of the year, but he's still producing well enough to warrant QB1 discussion. Plus, he has Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to throw to, so there's always a chance at a few big plays a game.
He gets a mediocre matchup this week vs. the Packers. Expect an average performance from him this week, which makes him a lower-end QB1 option.
