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The Minnesota Vikings host the Buffalo Bills this week, with the former fresh off a 29-all tie against the Green Bay Packers, and the latter coming off a 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Vikings’ high-octane offense comes in fifth overall in total yards per game (411.5) and tenth overall in points per game (26.5). With the Bills’ defense allowing 359 total yards per game (18th) and 39 points per game (T-32nd), this has all the makings of a great fantasy match-up for any Viking player.
While players like Dalvin Cook and Stefon Diggs should definitely have strong games, there are a few other Vikings who are even stronger plays this week against our Bills.
WR Adam Thielen
Buffalo cornerback Tre’Davious White often shadows a team’s top receiver, leaving the second wideout covered by an inferior player. If the Bills play zone, White stays on the left side of the field, so he will most likely match up against Diggs for the majority of the game. Enter Thielen, who operates both outside and from the slot, and who should be able to exploit favorable match-ups all over the field. Whether the player lined up across from him is Phillip Gaines, Lafayette Pitts, Taron Johnson, or Ryan Lewis, Thielen will be the superior player in the pairing. Unless White follows him around, expect Thielen to cause havoc in the Bills’ secondary all day.
QB Kirk Cousins
Speaking of creating havoc in Buffalo’s secondary, Vikings fans would definitely like it should that happen. And if it does, it will be Cousins feeding the ball to his talented receivers that drives the offense. Minnesota looks to have made a sound investment in Cousins, as the veteran has thrown for 669 yards and 6 touchdowns through his first two games in purple. Unless the Bills can discover a consistent pass rush on Sunday, Cousins should have an excellent day. Yahoo! projects him to score 19.3 points this weekend, but I think he could have a better day than that. Buffalo has allowed Joe Flacco and Philip Rivers to score 21.7 and 22.7 points, respectively, so far this season.
Vikings D/ST
Josh Allen is making his first road start against a good defense. He threw two interceptions last week at home against another good defense. LeSean McCoy may not play, and even if he does, he will be managing a painful rib injury. Kelvin Benjamin is nursing a hip injury, and he was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Yahoo! projects Minnesota to be the number-one scoring defense in fantasy football this week (13.5 points), and with good reason.