Patriots @ Vikings
Final Score: Vikings 33, Patriots 26
Writer: Brett Ford (@fadethatman on Twitter)
Usually the only thing that’s good around 9:00 p.m. on the night after Thanksgiving dinner is a little dessert – be it on a decorative plate or in a fancy tumbler with some big, chunky ice cubes – but don’t tell that to Justin Jefferson. The Vikings’ wide receiver stole the show on Thursday night and helped carry the home team to a victory at home.
If Justin Jefferson was the centerpiece – the turkey, if you will – there were still plenty of delicious side dishes in this fantasy football feast of a game. Both quarterbacks, Rhamondre Stevenson and a cornucopia of pass-catchers all performed well enough to please their fantasy managers in this holiday hootenanny of a game.
Let’s dig in.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 28/39, 382 Yards, 2 TD, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Mac Jones looked outstanding when he had time in the pocket. The Patriots offensive line did an outstanding job of protecting their quarterback for most of the game, but allowed two crucial sacks late in the fourth quarter.
When he was afforded time, Jones picked apart the Minnesota secondary, completing 28 of his 39 passes, including six completions for 20 yards or more. He threw for a season-high 382 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though it appeared to be more of an indictment of the Vikings pass defense (operating without Cameron Dantzler, Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth) than an endorsement of Jones.
A dime to DeVante 🤩@MacJones_10 | @DeVanteParker11 #NEvsMIN on NBC pic.twitter.com/gKNSMtDRIU
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2022
Jones was decisive, accurate, and successful when he had time to throw but struggled when the Vikings brought pressure and got to the quarterback. Overall, Jones was a solid streaming quarterback option and will definitely be in consideration again in weeks 14 and 15 when the Patriots face the Cardinals and Raiders, respectively… though managers may want to bench him against the Bills in Week 13.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 7 Carries, 36 Yards | 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 76 Yards
Damien Harris: 5 Carries, 16 Yards
If I told fantasy managers before the game that Rhamondre Stevenson would receive only seven carries, there’s no way anyone would predict a respectable fantasy output for the running back. Well, Stevenson still managed to post a 20-point performance (PPR) after pulling in nine catches on 10 targets for 76 yards receiving.
Mondre's turkey trot.@dreeday32 | #ForeverNE #NEvsMIN on NBC pic.twitter.com/NacqjgFL8U
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2022
Stevenson benefitted from an early-game injury to Damien Harris as well, who carried just five times for 16 yards and was not targeted in the passing game. In fact, all seven of Harris’ snaps came on early down work, signaling that even when healthy, Harris is more of an early-down spell back and that Stevenson will continue to receive the lion’s share of the work out of the backfield.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeVante Parker: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 80 Yards
Nelson Agholor: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 65 Yards, TD
Hunter Henry: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 63 Yards, TD
Jakobi Meyers: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 62 Yards
Kendrick Bourne: 1 Carry, -7 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
What is a catch in the NFL anymore? Don’t ask Hunter Henry. He was robbed of a two-touchdown night by a replay review that baffled a lot of people throughout the industry.
How in the world is this an incomplete pass?
The NFL really makes no sense. Hunter Henry caught it. pic.twitter.com/wIRwtkC4lq
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) November 25, 2022
Instead, he finished with three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. His lone score came on what looked like a broken play in the Vikings’ secondary where the safety missed a tackle in man-to-man coverage and Henry ran away for a 37-yard score with most of the yardage coming after the catch.
Hunting for 6.@Hunter_Henry84 | #ForeverNE #NEvsMIN on NBC pic.twitter.com/Z2NiGP39zZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2022
Nelson Agholor posted a solid evening as well, pulling in six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, doubling the rest of the wide receivers in target share.
Nelson down the middle 👏#NEvsMIN on NBC pic.twitter.com/1lwazPFq7t
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2022
Devante Parker and Jakobi Meyers each posted decent numbers but neither found the end zone. Meyers’ night might have been more productive had he not missed part of the first half with a slight injury.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 30/37, 299 Yards, 3 TD, INT | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Kirk Cousins looked pretty gosh-darn good in primetime – though when you throw to Justin Jefferson on nearly one-third of your attempts it’s hard to look bad. Cousins went for 299 and three scores, completing over 80% of his passes (30-for-37) with one bad overthrow for an interception in the first half.
Feeling pickish!#NEvsMIN on NBC pic.twitter.com/VxJ9wPQ7OE
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 25, 2022
Cousins bounced back from the interception with four-consecutive scoring drives (excluding the one-play kneel down to end the first half and the kick return touchdown) to earn the victory at home. Cousins is one of those players that is good, but it doesn’t feel like he’s good. Regardless of his real-life talent, Cousins is a must-start because he has some of the league’s best weapons and one of the league’s worst defenses – a recipe for lots of fantasy goodness on a weekly basis.
Running Back
Dalvin Cook: 22 Carries, 42 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 14 Yards
Alexander Mattison: 3 Carries, 11 Yards
Not much to see here when it comes down to it. The Patriots’ defense bottled up the Vikings’ running game. Despite toting the ball 22 times, Dalvin Cook gained just 42 yards on the ground while Alexander Mattison was a complete non-factor, carrying just three times for 11 yards. Cook also caught four of his five targets for 14 yards.
Dalvin is a lock-button starter for fantasy squads, while Mattison is a valuable handcuff but should never leave the fantasy bench unless Cook misses time.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Justin Jefferson: 11 Targets, 9 Receptions, 139 Yards, TD
Adam Thielen: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 61 Yards, TD
T.J. Hockenson: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 43 Yards, TD
Jalen Reagor: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 25 Yards
Johnny Mundt: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
K.J. Osborn: 1 Carry, 5 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Justin Jefferson is an absolute monster.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON IS UNREAL pic.twitter.com/k5TLqLDn5y
— Overtime (@overtime) November 25, 2022
JUST THROW IT TO JUSTIN JEFFERSON 🗣🗣
pic.twitter.com/8K6PJs6fHO— PFF (@PFF) November 25, 2022
That’s it. That’s the write-up.
Adam Thielen has benefitted greatly from the opposing defense focusing on trying to stop Jefferson. The veteran wideout finished with nine catches on 10 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. Thielen was so wide open on his touchdown reception (because the defense was keyed on Jefferson) that he still made the catch despite Cousins under-throwing the ball by two yards.
ADAM THIELEN.
VIKINGS (-3) LEAD. pic.twitter.com/wlRPCJpWZe
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 25, 2022
TJ Hockenson caught a touchdown as well, one of five receptions on the evening for 43 yards. He may not have the target volume that he did in Detroit, but he is still a top-10 option at a position with weekly question marks.