Week 1 vs. Buffalo Bills
Dalvin Cook is someone who will help team managers early in the season until Breece Hall gets to be 100%. Eventually he will get backup touches with some possible goal line opportunities.
Cook faces the Buffalo defense which is very good. We expect 12-14 touches for Week 1 which makes him an RB3 or Flex for Week 1. He could be even better if Hall is really held back but we expect both to share snaps.
Fantasy Upside
Dalvin Cook has had success in the NFL and should get touches with the Jets. He has value in standard and PPR leagues as he has always been involved in the passing game. He will most likely be the No. 1 back until the Jets feel Breece Hall is 100% recovered from his knee injury.
Fantasy Downside
Cook is a short-term fantasy solution. He will get touches until Hall is back and then he goes to a backup role. No question he is an insurance policy because Hall is the No. 1 back.
2023 Bottom Line
Cook is being drafted in the 7th to 8th round. If he is your fourth running back, he is good value and should have some early-season success. But don't count on him to be a fantasy producer the whole season.
Week 17 at Green Bay Packers
Dalvin Cook managers were left hanging in Week 16 when he saw 17 touches and managed 77 yards, but never found the end zone and finished outside of the top-24 at his position. Cook has only exceeded 100 total scrimmage yards once since Week 10 and continues to see limited involvement in the Minnesota passing game outside of a few spiked weeks. The good news is Cook has a great matchup this week against the Packers' below-average run defense. Cook is still approaching 20 touches in his down games, and as a result he is finishing as a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 whenever he manages to score a touchdown. He has a great shot at scoring this week, and should be comfortably deployed as a starting option for fantasy managers closing out the season.
Week 16 vs. New York Giants
Dalvin Cook was a large part of the Vikings' epic Week 15 comeback against the Colts as he totaled 190 yards from scrimmage, including a huge 64-yard screen pass he took to the house for a touchdown to force the game into overtime. That marks three games in a row where Cook has found the end zone either through the air or as a rusher. He now gets a favorable matchup with the Vikings hosting the Giants this week, a team that boasts one of the worst run defenses in the NFL this year. Cook has had some rocky stretches this season, particularly when he has faded out of the passing game, but he remains a workhorse back for a productive offense. That means weekly RB1 upside to go along with a steady diet of 15+ touches per game for a RB2 floor. Keep Cook locked into lineups if you're still alive in the fantasy playoffs.
Week 15 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Dalvin Cook had a rough fantasy showing in Week 14 due to a combination of inefficiency and an unfavorable game script that required the Vikings play pass-heavy football. Cook only managed 36 scoreless yards on 15 carries and one reception, resulting in a RB26 finish for the week in a game where the teams combined to score 57 points. Cook has now failed to log a finish in the top-12 running backs for the week in over a month, a span that also includes three games where he finished outside the weekly top-24 at his position. Cook's lack of passing game efficiency has been a big drag on his fantasy value this season, and his season-high for receiving yards remains 30 way back in Week 8. The drop-off in receiving production has lowered Cook's floor and made him more game-script dependent than in the past. He gets a decent matchup this week against a mediocre Colts run defense, but he is looking more like a fantasy RB2 than RB1 these days.
Week 14 at Detroit Lions
After a series of brutal matchups, Dalvin Cook gets a more favorable draw this week against a Lions defense that struggles to contain most positions on the field. Cook struggled in the first two games of his difficult three-game stretch, but he salvaged his Week 13 box score with a rushing touchdown to get into the RB2 ranks for the week. While Detroit is generally tougher on opposing running games than passing attacks, the Lions concede a ton of offense in general and Cook will bring substantial touchdown upside this week in addition to his usual 15-20 touches overall. Keep Cook locked into starting lineups as a RB1 play this week.
Week 13 vs. New York Jets
It was a rough fantasy showing from Dalvin Cook on Thanksgiving as he only managed a highly inefficient 56 scoreless yards on 22 carries and four catches. The slow day was especially disappointing because it came in such a high-scoring affair, but almost all the damage was done through the air. The Jets are strong against the run, but they are elite against the pass and the Vikings will likely need a good day from Cook this week to move the ball effectively. As we mentioned last week, this is an absolutely brutal stretch of the season for Cook in terms of matchups, but he should still see plenty of volume and gets the Lions next week. Hang on through the tough times and keep riding Cook as a fantasy starter.
Week 12 vs. New England Patriots
Dalvin Cook predictably flopped in Week 11 due to an extreme negative game script with the Cowboys utterly dominating the Vikings in every phase of the game. Cook played 65% of the Vikings' snaps as Minnesota pulled their starters in the second half facing a massive deficit on the scoreboard. Cook gets another brutal matchup this week against the Patriots, who rank as the most difficult defense in the league against opposing backs according to schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed. Still, Cook should fare better than last week on Thanksgiving given his projected weekly workload. Cook is in a difficult part of his schedule right now, but he is still a starting fantasy RB and gets easier matchups in the fantasy playoffs.
Week 11 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Dalvin Cook was having a nondescript week against the Bills in Week 10 until he ripped off a massive 81-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to get the Vikings back in the game. While that run alone gave Cook a productive fantasy day, we're sure his fantasy managers would rather not rely solely on big plays to get RB1 production out of their first-round running back. The good news is Cook did see five targets in Week 10, a positive sign for passing game involvement which has been inconsistent this season. Now Cook will face off with the Cowboys, who boast a defense that is just better than league-average against opposing backs in fantasy. Cook's heavy workload in a productive offense gives him a RB2 floor but he always has potential for much more than that. He should be started as usual in Week 11.
Week 10 at Buffalo Bills
Dalvin Cook had a rough going against the Commanders in Week 9 but he salvaged his day with an impressive receiving touchdown where he beat a safety on a contested catch. Cook's RB14 performance in Week 9 was his worst fantasy finish in nearly a month. Alexander Mattison was getting more playing time early in the season but has recently been relegated back to less than 20% of the Vikings' offensive snaps. As long as Cook is getting 75%+ of the snaps in Minnesota, he will have weekly RB1 upside. Cook's Week 10 matchup against the Bills is a difficult one, but he needs to be started in all formats as the clear lead back for the Vikings' new-look offense.
