Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, November 9, 2026, 8:15 PM ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Network: ABC
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: START, QB1
Yeah, you’re starting Josh Allen. He’s basically the sketchy-looking hole-in-the-wall restaurant you almost drove past. You had concerns about food poisoning at first, but now you’re the one telling everyone else they have to try it. The Vikings’ defense is tough enough that Allen is ranked as the QB2 in our staff rankings this week for what might be the first time this season (behind Joe Burrow). But don’t try to four-dimensional chess your way out of this one.
Running Back
James Cook III: START, RB1
Ty Johnson: SIT
Ray Davis: SIT
James Cook is an easy start, and he might just be the Top Gun: Maverick of the Cook family. Everybody wondered if the sequel could live up to the original. Turns out it’s even better. Yes, the Vikings are a tough matchup all around, but Jahmyr Gibbs just found a way to exploit them on the ground, and Cook should still have plenty of opportunities.
Wide Receiver
DJ Moore: START, WR3
Khalil Shakir: FLEX, WR4
Keon Coleman: SIT
DJ Moore returned from two missed games and immediately reminded you why you waited, going 4-for-82 and scoring on seven targets against Baltimore. Minnesota allows the fourth-fewest points to receivers with four touchdowns and one 100-yard game surrendered all season, so this is a talent-over-matchup start. Khalil Shakir has five or more targets in six of seven, double-digits in four straight, and absolutely nothing about his game that a tough matchup takes away, because there was never a ceiling to take.
Tight End
Dalton Kincaid: STREAMER
With two 18-point games in his last three, I still can’t lock in Dalton Kincaid as a TE1 this week. The Vikings are the worst matchup for tight ends in football, allowing a meager 7.1 points per game and yet to allow a tight end touchdown this season. Kincaid’s year already swings between feasts and famines, and this is the defense that’s been serving famine to everybody.
Defense/Special Teams
Buffalo Bills: SIT
Minnesota is tied for the fourth-most sacks taken, but Buffalo is tied for the eighth-most points allowed and is on the road Monday night. Not worth the risk.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: START (in Superflex), Borderline QB1
Kyler Murray has quietly stacked three straight solid outings since returning from injury, with his legs doing real work at 51, 39, and 35 rushing yards. The pass volume is modest at best, and Murray stands without a 250-yard game since September. But Buffalo allows the eighth-most points to the position, and that rushing floor plays in any matchup. He’s a QB1 on Monday night.
Running Back
Jordan Mason: FLEX, RB3
Aaron Jones Sr: FLEX, RB3
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has been upfront that the backfield split in Minnesota is by design, saying they want Jordan Mason to be the “focal point” while insisting Aaron Jones still has a significant role. This week’s matchup is the best on the board, with Buffalo allowing the third-most points to backs thanks to seven rushing touchdowns and 5.6 catches per game to the position. The problem is it’s getting carved into two helpings. Both are FLEX plays if the knee lets Jones him be, and the pass-game work is his. Mason is the healthier body and the better bet for early-down volume, but Week 8’s eight-carry outing says the focal-point talk may just be talk.
Wide Receiver
Justin Jefferson: START, WR1
Jordan Addison: START, WR3
Jauan Jennings: SIT
Let’s be honest about Justin Jefferson‘s season. It’s basically one monster in the opener and a lot of sub-ten Sundays since. But the targets are still there, averaging eight over his last four full games, and now here comes Buffalo. The Bills are allowing the fifth-most points to receivers, with 11 touchdowns to the position in eight games. The volume is locked, the matchup is soft, and it’s at home on Monday night. If the get-right game doesn’t happen here, we’re having a very difficult conversation next week. Jordan Addison is a lottery ticket and coming off eight targets and 11.6 points. If Jefferson finally draws the coverage he’s used to, Addison is likely the one running past it.
Tight End
T.J. Hockenson: STREAMER
Shoutout to my guy Brett Ford for never giving up on T.J. Hockenson. Hock has touchdowns in three of his last four and 5+ targets in four of five. The Buffalo matchup is more neutral than juicy, but Hockenson hasn’t been matchup-dependent lately. He’s been red-zone dependent, and he keeps getting the ball there. Solid streamer with a sprinkle of upside.
Defense/Special Teams
Minnesota Vikings: START
Minnesota allows the fewest points and has the most sacks in the league, which is the only way you start a defense against Buffalo.