What We Saw: Week 11

Good football is back just in time for the holiday season

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Patriots @ Falcons
Saints @ Eagles
Dolphins @ Jets
Football Team @ Panthers
Colts @ Bills
Lions @ Browns
49ers @ Jaguars
Texans @ Titans
Packers @ Vikings
Ravens @ Bears
Bengals @ Raiders
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Chiefs
Steelers @ Chargers

Packers @ Vikings

Final Score: Vikings 34, Packers 31

Writer: Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

 

This was one of the most exciting games to watch this season, with tons of huge plays and offensive scores in a back-and-forth game.  The running game was a little bit quieter, although you probably weren’t disappointed with the outcome.

Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins put on a show with help from their Wide Receivers.  Let’s dive into the crazy amount of scoring in this shootout.

 

Minnesota Vikings

 

Quarterback

 

Kirk Cousins: 24/35, 341 yards, 3 TD, 2 sacks | 2 carries, -4 yards

 

Kirk Cousins was solid in this one, picking the Green Bay defense apart with help from his star Wide Receivers.  He did throw an interception that was called back for Roughing the Passer, and there were a few other questionable throws that could have been picked off, but luckily the Packers weren’t able to take the ball away.  He also fumbled the ball on a sack, but the Vikings were able to jump on it.

Cousins turned a very lucky day (with multiple almost-interceptions) into a huge fantasy day.  For the most part, he performed well and should be starting in most leagues.

 

 

Running Back

 

Dalvin Cook: 22 carries, 86 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards

Alexander Mattison: 3 carries, 5 yards | 1 target

 

Dalvin Cook was mostly bottled up in the first half, although he was able to easily walk in for a touchdown from the one-yard line after a big catch by Justin Jefferson.  In the end, fantasy players were probably very happy with Cook’s performance, although the touchdown definitely helped.  Cook will continue to be an every-week start.

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Justin Jefferson: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 169 yards, 2 TD | 1 carry, 3 yards

Adam Thielen: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 82 yards, TD

Tyler Conklin: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards

Dede Westbrook: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

K.J. Osborn: 4 targets, 1 reception, 19 yards

 

 

Justin Jefferson exploded in the first half, catching his first pass for 43-yards and later catching a pass for 56-yards that was called short of the goal line.

 

 

It was very close, however, the replay did show he was just short.  Jefferson later had another deep target that was underthrown by Cousins. It ended up as a DPI, but had Cousins thrown it a bit further it would have been a touchdown.  He was rewarded for his deep receiving work by catching a short touchdown pass in the third quarter.

 

 

Jefferson lined up in the backfield and was wide open for the touchdown.  It was a great play design by the Vikings.  Jefferson caught his second touchdown pass of the game on a 24-yard throw.  It was a great adjustment by the second-year Receiver.

Adam Thielen saw his usual usage in this one.  He did make a great sideline catch to extend a drive on the way to the Cook touchdown.  Later in the second half, Thielen found the endzone on a short pass.

 

 

It was a great juke move that allowed Thielen to get into the endzone.  Thielen was targeted deep later in the third quarter but was once again underthrown by Cousins. Thielen did most of his damage on short throws, but he continues to see plenty of targets and catches to be played every week.

K.J. Osborn garnered some hype early in the season, but he really has been a non-factor since then.  He only caught one pass, although he did see four targets.  Osborn left the field after a deep target with some noticeable limping.

Tight End Tyler Conklin has also been a solid fantasy contributor in recent weeks, although this one wasn’t a huge day for him.  He continues to be a middling fantasy football Tight End.

 

Green Bay Packers

 

Quarterback

 

Aaron Rodgers: 22/33, 385 yards, 4 TD, 2 sacks | 2 carries, 21 yards

 

Aaron Rodgers was just as efficient as Cousins in this one, moving the ball down the field with ease.  He even broke a nice 18-yard gain on a scramble.

 

 

That scramble eventually led to a touchdown throw to Davante Adams. Rodgers isn’t known to run all that often, but he does make the most of it when he does choose to scramble.

Rodgers had a great drive in the fourth quarter that killed some clock and gave them the lead.  He found Adams once again for the touchdown. He actually tried calling for the timeout but wasn’t granted it, which ended up turning in his favor.

Overall Rodgers had a huge game and kept the mistakes to near zero.  It seems like he is back to his MVP self for now.

 

Running Back

 

A.J. Dillon: 11 carries, 53 yards | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 44 yards

Patrick Taylor: 4 carries, 11 yards

 

Aaron Jones sat this week after spraining his MCL in Week 10.

That left the starting job to A.J. Dillon, who has looked great as the “1b” to Jones so far this season.  Dillon didn’t make any huge plays, but he rushed for 4.8 ypc and caught all six of his targets. One of his catches was a nice grab that he went up to get while backtracking towards the sideline, then planted his foot and was able to evade a defender for a modest gain. He’s not known as a pass catcher, but he clearly has some talent in that department.

He had a good day for fantasy players, at least in PPR, and will continue to be a huge asset as long as Jones sits.  This game was a shootout, so the run game was relatively quiet.

Patrick Taylor was the backup in this one, but he didn’t do anything and isn’t worth being rostered.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Davante Adams:  8 targets, 7 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD

Randall Cobb: 2 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards

Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 10 targets, 4 receptions, 123 yards, TD

Josiah Deguara: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 37 yards, TD

Dominique Dafney: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards

Equanimeous St. Brown: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 43 yards | 1 carry, 11 yards

 

Davante Adams came out with a bang, catching a short pass across the middle on the first play of the game and taking it 37-yards.

 

 

Adams continued getting his usual short targets, and Rodgers found his favorite target for his first touchdown of the game later in the third quarter.

 

Later on, Adams was wide open for his second touchdown of the game.

 

 

Adams will continue being one of the best Wide Receivers to roster in fantasy.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling once again was the deep threat in this one, with several deep targets going to MVS that were just out of his reach.  He finally did connect with Rodgers on a 39-yard gain early in the second quarter.

 

 

Rodgers’ continuous deep throws to MVS finally paid off with a 75-yard touchdown to even the score at 31 late in the game in what ended up being a stunning turn of events.

 

 

MVS is seeing so many targets now that he is back that he should be added in most leagues.

Allen Lazard did not play due to a shoulder injury.

Josiah Deguara hasn’t had the most fantasy relevance, however, he is becoming an intriguing deep Tight End option with Robert Tonyan out for the season.  Deguara caught his first touchdown of the season right before halftime.

 

 

Rodgers definitely extended this play, but it was good awareness by the young Tight End to change directions and get just enough open to fit the ball in.  Deguara probably can’t be trusted every week in most leagues.

Adams and MVS should be the only receivers considered rosterable in fantasy.

 

— Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Patriots @ Falcons
Saints @ Eagles
Dolphins @ Jets
Football Team @ Panthers
Colts @ Bills
Lions @ Browns
49ers @ Jaguars
Texans @ Titans
Packers @ Vikings
Ravens @ Bears
Bengals @ Raiders
Cardinals @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Chiefs
Steelers @ Chargers

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