Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Quarterbacks
- Aaron Rodgers: 22/34, 209 yards, 2 TD
It was a tale of two halves for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense on the day. Rodgers started out red hot – completing 8 of his first 9 passes and leading Green Bay to TDs on its first three possessions. First, he hit RB Jamaal Williams on a 15-yard strike to cap a quick four-play, 75-yard opening drive. On the Packers’ next possession, Rodgers found WR Geronimo Allison for a 12-yard TD. The second half wasn’t as kind to Rodgers, as Minnesota’s defense would prevent them from scoring again. While the lack of scoring in the second half was somewhat troubling, Rodgers salvaged a decent fantasy output in the afternoon. This is a new system for the Packers and there’s evidence to suggest there are still some growing pains taking place. That being said, anyone who drafted Rodgers has to feel better about this week’s performance than they did after his performance against the Bears last week. Rodgers will be tasked with producing against yet another tough defense next week when the Denver Broncos come to town.
Running Backs
- Aaron Jones: 23 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
- Jamaal Williams: 9 carries, 38 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards, 1 TD
It was an outstanding performance from Green Bay’s backfield on the day, especially from 3rd-year RB Aaron Jones from UTEP. While Jamaal Williams will certainly have a role in this offense, Jones has proven that he is the featured back and their workloads only continue to confirm it. Jones had the type of performance that his owners hoped for when they drafted him – he out-touched Williams 27-12 on the day and Jones finished with an impressive 5.0 yards per carry. Jones’ 34 receiving yards were good for second on the team, behind only WR Davante Adams. The uptick in usage for Jones from last season certainly bodes well for him moving forward. It’s also worth mentioning that Jones continued to receive the bulk of the carries as the Packers were attempting to run out the clock at the end of the 4th quarter. Barring injury, I wouldn’t think it unreasonable to consider Jones a possibility to finish as an RB1 this season. While Williams did find the end-zone on a 15-yard reception, with a healthy Aaron Jones, Williams likely won’t provide much standalone fantasy value on his own.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Davante Adams: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 106 yards
- Geronimo Allison: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards
It was a quiet afternoon for most of Green Bay’s receivers, but WR Davante Adams made a loud statement with his performance right off the bat. Adams caught a 39-yard bomb on the first play from scrimmage on a convincing play-action fake from Rodgers – Adams’ first of seven catches on the afternoon. While it’s slightly disappointing that Adams didn’t find the end-zone on the day, he has been and will continue to be Aaron Rodgers’ favorite red-zone target. The TDs will come for Adams. It was WR Geronimo Allison who found the end-zone instead, on a 12-yard strike from Rodgers near the end of the first quarter. While the TD was a boost for Allison’s owners, he also lost a fumble in the 2nd quarter. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a quiet afternoon, finishing with only 19 yards receiving. TE Jimmy Graham was held without a catch on the game – on only two targets. While the Vikings’ defense played much better as the game went on, it’s tough to envision one of these Packers’ WRs other than Adams providing any real fantasy relevance; other than maybe in deeper leagues.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterbacks
- Kirk Cousins: 14/32, 230 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Kirk Cousins had a less-than-stellar performance on the day, to put it kindly. He finished the day with an abysmal 43.8 completion percentage and an awful 52.9 passer rating. He lost a fumble on top of throwing two interceptions, and other than a quick-strike 75-yard TD run from RB Dalvin Cook, Cousins was on his way to being shut out in the first half. Even as the Vikings’ defense tightened down in the second half and their offense narrowed the scoring gap, the game never really felt as close as the score indicated. It wasn’t all bad for Cousins, however. He hit WR Stefon Diggs on a nice 45-yard TD strike early in the 3rd quarter, dropping a perfectly-thrown ball just between two defenders in the middle of the field. He also made a couple of nice scrambles for first-downs. While Minnesota’s offense is still finding its groove, perhaps it’s best to look elsewhere than Cousins if you’re looking for a QB to stream.
Running Backs
- Dalvin Cook: 20 carries, 154 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 37 yards
- Alexander Mattison: 4 carries, 25 yards
Dalvin Cook was once again electric for the Vikings – including a remarkable 75-yard TD run near the end of the first half. That big play boosted his YPC average to 7.7 for the afternoon, but even without that play, he averaged a respectable 4.2 YPC. Cook is certainly rewarding owners who used a high pick on him – even if they may have been hesitant to do so due to his injury history. His heavy workload thus far suggests that his injury issues that plagued him for his first two seasons are behind him now. Vikings’ backup RB Alexander Mattison had a quiet day with only 4 carries and 0 targets. If Cook were to miss any time, Mattison would obviously get an enormous boost. But until then, he remains nothing more than a high-upside handcuff. If Cook is able to remain healthy, he should be in line for a monster year.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Stefon Diggs: 7 targets, 1 reception, 49 yards, 1 TD
- Adam Thielen: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 75 yards
- Kyle Rudolph: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 9 yards
Minnesota’s WRs had a fairly disappointing day, and their struggles were directly related to the struggles of Kirk Cousins. Stefon Diggs was able to find the end-zone but was otherwise held without a catch on his 6 other targets. Diggs appeared to have a TD catch in the 2nd quarter, but it was called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty on RB Dalvin Cook. While Diggs’ target volume is encouraging, you’d really hope to see him finish with more than 1 catch. Luckily for Diggs’ owners, that one catch landed him in the end-zone. Adam Thielen was the busiest of all Vikings’ receivers – leading the group in targets, receptions, and yards. It’s always been tough to forecast which Vikings’ WR will be the most productive any given week, and Minnesota’s hiring of Gary Kubiak to overhaul their running game certainly hasn’t made the situation any clearer. One thing has been clear so far this season regarding the Vikings’ offense, it goes through Dalvin Cook.
–Corey Saucier