Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 29th at 1:00 pm EST
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Betting Odds: CHI -3, via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Sleeper Spotlight: Alexander Mattison
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback:
- Kirk Cousins (Start – unless you have a better option)
Through three games, the Vikings are clear as day a run-first team. Kirk Cousins has been serviceable, but nothing to write home about. That simply could be due to the game plan to feed the running backs more, but a 35.5 QBR does not match his $84M contract. I only say to start Cousins because he hasn’t been awful by any means, though I would look elsewhere if you can.
Running Backs
- Dalvin Cook (Start, RB1)
- Alexander Mattison (FLEX/Sleeper)
Fire up your Dalvin Cook stock, despite a tougher matchup on the road verse (da) Bears. On the year so far, Cook has rushed for 375 yards on 51 carries and four touchdowns. Behind him his rookie Alexander Mattison, who is already playing himself into the conversation of being one of the better backups (handcuffs if we want to throw in some fantasy lingo) in the league. He scored his first career touchdown last week, and I believe it’s earned him the right for my sleeper spotlight for this game. If you’re feeling confident, throw him in your flex and hope he can find the endzone again.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Adam Thielen (Start, WR1)
- Stefon Diggs (Start, WR3/FLEX)
- Kyle Rudolph (Sit)
Adam Thielen continues to be Cousin’s go-to target. For years now, everyone has waited for the Stefon Diggs breakout surge, but it hasn’t happened yet in 2019. Last week, Thielen scored twice, once through the air and the other on the ground, and out-targeted Diggs five to three. Diggs only has six receptions on the season, and until we see more involvement, he’s, unfortunately, being bumped down to WR3/FLEX status.
The same goes for Kyle Rudolph, who I actually would say to sit and find a better option. He only has four grabs for 20 yards on the year so far. So much for that four-year extension…
Chicago Bears
Quarterback:
- Mitchell Trubisky (Start, QB2)
He’ll be entering the game on a short week having just won on Monday Night against the Redskins, but Mitchel Trubsiky will look to piggyback off his strong primetime performance. Granted his three touchdowns all came in the first half to Taylor Gabriel, but he still only managed to miss six completions on the night. The Bears have not gotten their run game truly going, and so I’d look for Trubisky to continue to air it out as a source to put up points.
Running Backs:
- David Montgomery (Start, RB2)
- Tarik Cohen (Sit)
Hey, if you drafted him as your RB2, you might as well stick with him. David Montgomery hasn’t lived up to his draft hype yet, but he did lead the Chicago backfield against Washington with 13 carries for 67 yards. He also had three receptions for 14 yards. Perhaps it’s a sign of improvement for the rookie, who should be having a much stronger campaign to start his career.
Tarik Cohen though, he may need some time on the pine if you haven’t yet already. Against the Redskins, he rushed the ball four times for -2 yards and caught two of four targets for 26 yards. This is not the Cohen we saw heavily involved in 2018. You want that Cohen back if you ponied up a mid-round draft pick for him. But for at least this week, I’m not considering him as a starting option.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends:
- Allen Robinson (Start, WR2/WR3)
- Taylor Gabriel (Sit, FLEX if you must)
- Trey Burton (Start – if you must)
Spoiler if you plan to add and start Taylor Gabriel: do not expect three touchdowns again. It’s why I suggested him as your flex if you must, though overall I don’t believe he has any true standalone value.
Allen Robinson caught six of seven balls for 60 yards this past Monday and should continue to be Trubisky’s number one option. Consider him as a WR2/WR3 due to his lack of scoring through the first three games.
As the narrative always is with the tight end landscape being so scarce, start Trey Burton if he’s your only option. Everyone had high hopes for him in 2018, and it was quite frankly a backfire. In 2019, he currently has only six receptions for a measly 25 yards.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Andrews or demarcus Robinson in a full point PPR? if there’s not much of a difference, I’m probably going to go Robinson anyways because I’m a Browns fan and I hate having to root for a guy on the other team.