Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 13th, 1:00 PM ET
Location: Highmark Stadium
Betting Odds: BUF -4.0, 44.0 total via PFF.com
Network: CBS
Writer: Estevão Maximo (@estevao_maximo on Twitter)
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins (Start QB2)
What do you do when you hit on the same point each week, and the results keep defying you, even if the process feels validated? The Vikings are winning games they should be winning, which is in itself a big step from last year, but the offense has been somewhat underwhelming, and eking out a win over the Commanders certainly does not help their case.
Kirk Cousins is by all accounts still having the worst statistical year of his career in years, and it is not like the running game has been hitting on all cylinders to carry the offense. Maybe this says more about my own high expectations with Kevin O’Connell coming into the fold, but this group has the potential to be one of the top offenses in football, and so far it’s only been good enough. The Vikings are averaging 5.3 yards per play.
The good news if you roster Cousins is that the volume is very consistent. Minnesota has passed the ball over 30 times in every game this year, and Cousins is coming off three straight games with two passing touchdowns. All of this makes him a decent QB2 play.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook (Start RB1) Alexander Mattison (Sit)
The Vikings couldn’t run the ball against Washington, and Dalvin Cook ended the afternoon with 47 yards on 17 carries, interrupting a streak of three games averaging over 5 yards per carry.
Buffalo’s defense is stout, but with some key absences, it has struggled against the run lately, allowing nearly 400 rushing yards in the last two games against the Packers and Jets.
With all of this in mind, it is difficult not to look at Cook as an RB1. The Bills’ D is certainly nowhere near that bad even with its injuries, and the Vikings running game isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was last week, so expect something in the middle, and do not be alarmed by either small sample size.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Justin Jefferson (Start, WR1), Adam Thielen (Start flex), KJ Osborn (Sit), TJ Hockenson (Start TE1)
Hey, Justin Jefferson caught another TD. After a drought that dated back to Week 1 against the Packers, the Vikings’ number one wideout found the end zone through the air once again, with another masterful performance against Washington this past Sunday.
Jefferson is lacking in the touchdown department, but everything else is there, with the elite volume in an offense that does its fair share of airing it out.
Adam Thielen seems poised to hover in that flex territory for much of the season with a lot of his production reliant on touchdowns. The long-time Viking still managed to get 67 yards in a day in which newly acquired weapon, TJ Hockenson, saw nine targets and caught all of them for 70 yards.
Jefferson won’t be affected by the Hockenson trade. In fact, the addition of another weapon could undoubtedly benefit him. Now, the battle will probably be between Thielen and Hockenson to see who gets the bulk of those red zone looks as the secondary option
Buffalo Bills
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen (Start QB1) *if Case Keenum (Sit)
There appears to be a lot of gamesmanship involved in this Josh Allen situation. He’s day-to-day, he avoided surgery, and the outlook is up in the air. Those are some of the phrases we’ve heard in recent hours. Whenever a team is sort of vague-ish about a player’s status, that should bring a lot of skepticism about his ability to play in that week.
Although the division is a lot stronger than anyone could’ve anticipated, it’s pretty safe to assume that the Bills will err on the side of caution with Josh Allen, so in case you roster him, plan the week like he won’t play, and then adjust if the outlook changes near Sunday.
In case Allen plays, he remains a QB1, after all, like it was said earlier, it is hard to imagine him suiting up for Sunday with a lot of risks involved, or in a more limited role. If Case Keenum is the starter, look elsewhere on the wire for a streamer.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary (Start, flex) Nyheim Hines (Sit)
Devin Singletary has zero rushing touchdowns on the year and has cracked 50 rushing yards only once. Although the Bills’ top back has four receptions in two of his last three games, the Nyheim Hines trade points towards a decrease in his passing role.
On a good day, Singletary is capable of putting up low-end RB2 numbers, but that hasn’t been the case for most of the year, and going up against a defense that’s sixth in points allowed to opposing backs, Singletary is just a high-end flex play.
Hines only saw one target in his first game with Buffalo, and although it’s hard to pinpoint the size of his role in game 2, for now, it’s a wait-and-see approach with the former Colt.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Stefon Diggs (Start, WR1), Gabe Davis (Start, flex), Isaiah Mckenzie(Sit), Dawson Knox(Start, TE2)
Sauce Gardner did Sauce Gardner things and kind of shut down this explosive Bills’ offense, with the help of a Jets’ defense that’s hitting on all cylinders as of late. Nevertheless, in Stefon Diggs we trust, and the former Viking will get on the field with fire in his eyes to show up for his former team.
Gabe Davis has barely cracked 10 points in his last two games combined. Of course, that’s on the heels of two very good performances against the Chiefs and particularly the Steelers. If you roster Davis, you’re resigned to the ups and downs that he’ll have.
Particularly in a week with some uncertainty around the status of Josh Allen, and with this Bills’ offense not looking their best recently, we’ll leave Gabe Davis as a high-end flex play. Isaiah Mckenzie scored in three of the first four games in 2022 but hasn’t really clicked since returning from that concussion.
Dawson Knox is a low-end TE2 in a season that’s falling short of expectations. After an exciting 2021 campaign, the Bills’ tight end has yet to crack 50 receiving yards in a game in 2022.