Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
Final Score: Vikings 31 – Packers 29
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
What a battle between two contending teams in the NFC North. While the game ended close, it was a one-sided affair for most of the game. Sam Darnold and the passing offense looked on point all game. That led to the team having a 28-7 lead going into the half. Aaron Jones was very productive in his revenge game against the Packers. On the Packers side of the ball, it was a slow start for the Jordan Love-led offense. Once Love got some of the rust off, he looked better in the second half of this game. The team would put up 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Packers showed they are an offense that will start clicking sooner rather than later in the season.
Three Up
- Sam Darnold – The Vikings quarterback has shown he is here to stay with another fantastic game this season. Sam Darnold has to be a must-start quarterback moving forward.
- Dontayvion Wicks – It’s about taking the opportunity when given to you, and Wicks took it. He led the lean-in targets and played well when Christian Watson went down. He’ll jump in FLEX value if Watson is out for an extended period.
- Jordan Love – It was essential to see how Jordan Love would look after that MCL sprain, and he was solid. He had a slow start but got things going late in the game.
Three Down
- Jalen Nailor – The return of Jordan Addison would affect Jalen Nailor’s targets. While they were ahead for most of the game, moving forward for the third receiver is a concern.
- Christian Watson – I don’t like putting a player who got hurt in the down section, but Watson continues to show his inability to stay healthy on the field.
- Ty Chandler – The Vikings are showing us that Ty Chandler is the backup in Minnesota rather than a change-of-pace player. Unless Jones gets hurt, Chandler is just a handcuff.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Sam Darnold: 20/28, 275 yards passing, 3 Tds, INT | 7 carries, 15 yards rushing, FUM
What a day from Sam Darnold in Week 4. Darnold got off to a hot start against a secondary that was missing their best defensive back in Jaire Alexander. Darnold had plenty of time in the pocket and made fantastic throws downfield all day. It wasn’t until the second half that the Packers forced more pressure, and that’s where Darnold was more average than great. He threw a dime to Justin Jefferson for a touchdown in the second quarter. He didn’t have many bad moments in this game. He did try to force a pick, but that was more about how impressive of a catch the defender made. He was sacked at some point, which caused a turnover. Darnold has risen to a weekly QB1 moving forward.
Running Back
Aaron Jones: 22 carries, 93 yards rushing | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 46 yards receiving
We had Jones’ revenge game playing against the Packers. Jones came out in this game and played amazingly on the field. He looked quick and explosive while finding open holes on the line. He made defenders miss and played aggressively with yards after contact. He did great as a pass catcher in this game. Jones was top-tier, and if he continues to play this way, then he is on his way to an RB1 season. It would have been nice to see him get a touchdown against his old team.
Ty Chandler: 3 carries, 5 yards rushing | 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards receiving
Chandler has fallen in his role on this team. They may have given more work to Jones since it was his former team, but why do that? Chandler is not playing the complete role we thought he would enter the season. He didn’t look great on any of his runs. His one catch was solid for 8 yards, but he is more of a handcuff moving forward.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Justin Jefferson: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 85 yards receiving, 1 TD
While this may be one of Jefferson’s lower games, he was still as impressive as ever. Jefferson continues to dominate this coverage and find open holes in zone coverage. He showed off speed to beat some of his assigned coverage for big gains down the field. His touchdown grab was a beauty with a defender all over him. Jefferson will have bigger games down the road but game script limited him here.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON IS UNREAL 🤯
(via @Vikings) pic.twitter.com/7wpeZ6Ahsr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
Jordan Addison: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 72 yards receiving, 1 TD | 1 carry, 7 yards rushing
In Addison’s first game back, it was a great one. He caught a touchdown beating one-on-one coverage downfield. His other catches were not easy grabs, but he found ways to come down with them. He looked fast and ran well on the field today. It looks like Addison will be back as a borderline WR2/WR3 moving forward as long as he stays healthy.
Jalen Nailor: 2 targets, 1 reception, 31 yards receiving | 1 carry | 1 FUM
Nailor did not have the best day for fantasy or the Vikings. He had a solid 31-yard catch and made up most of the yardage after the catch. This was a game in which the Vikings were ahead, but seeing only two targets caused some concern with Addison being back on the field. Nailor did fumble on a punt return catch, but that shouldn’t have impacted his offensive role. Nailor looked solid on the field, but it was clear the team didn’t need him as much today in a positive game script.
Trent Sherfield Sr.: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards receiving
Brandon Powell: 2 targets
These two receivers are just backups who will see a few catches from time to time. Brandon Powell had two bad targets today. Darnold threw the ball to him in bad situations. Trent Sherfield Sr. had a solid catch for eight yards. They have no fantasy impact.
Johnny Mundt: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards receiving
Josh Oliver: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards receiving, 1 TD
The Vikings’ tight ends are used in a split role in the offense. They both had two short catches that got them five or six yards. Josh Oliver’s touchdown was a designed out-route that Sam Darnold found him easily. Neither has much fantasy value among tight ends.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 37/54, 389 yards passing, 4 TDs, 3 INTs | 1 carry, 6 yards rushing
We finally have Jordan Love back on this Packers offense, and we needed him. Love started slow in this game. He didn’t look like himself with many poor throws. He was pressured often, which led to him making poor plays. All three of his turnovers on the day were his fault. His second one went through two Packers receivers, and the Vikings defender picked it off. The first half for Love was not a good one.
However, in the second half, Love’s performance took a turn for the better. He appeared more composed and at ease in the pocket, suggesting that he had managed to shake off some rust. He threw three touchdowns in the second half. His best one was at the end of the second quarter, which was spectacular for Jayden Reed. The rest of his touchdowns resulted from his receivers finding open spaces in the endzone. With a game under his belt, Love is expected to regain his QB1 status in fantasy football.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 9 carries, 51 yards rushing | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 27 yards receiving
Unfortunately, Jacobs dealt with limited opportunities in this game. Jacobs did run very well in this game. He looked explosive and found holes to gain big yards. Even in the passing game, Jacobs could be a factor on the field. The Packers got behind, which limited runs in the second half of the game. It was interesting to see that Jacobs wasn’t used on the final two-minute drive of the game, and they elected to go with Emanuel Wilson. I hope the return of Jordan Love can help balance out the run-and-pass game. Jacobs should get better with Love back.
Emanuel Wilson: 8 carries, 27 yards rushing | 1 target
Wilson didn’t look very good in this game. He didn’t run well at all. He looked slow out of the backfield, and I didn’t see the speed he has shown this year. He was used on the game’s final drive, which was interesting. He is being used on pass protection but missed a big block in this game.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jayden Reed: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 139 yards receiving, 1 TD | 1 carry, 2 yards rushing
Now that we have Jordan Love back, Reed has returned to glory. Reed dominated this game, but much of his production was in the second half. Reed made big plays in the second half and was impressive with contested catch situations. He consistently found the open space on zone coverage and produced big yards after the catch. Reed will return to the must-start option in fantasy with Love back.
Romeo Doubs: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 39 yards receiving
Doubs was fine in this game. He was this game’s top snap leader and second in targets. Doubs saw a few uncatchable inaccurate throws from Love. If Watson is going to miss any time, then Doubs could find some consistent value.
Christian Watson: 1 target
Watson suffered an injury in the first quarter of this game. A defender got tangled with his leg, which bent back a little bit. We’ll have to see if he is going to miss extended time.
Dontayvion Wicks: 14 targets, 5 receptions, 78 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Wicks stepped up for Christian Watson in a big way. He led the way among pass catchers with 14 targets in this game. Wicks and Love were not on the same page for most of this game, and he also had a few drops as well. He caught two touchdowns because of his route-running ability and fooling the defense. He should see a spike in value if Watson misses extended time.
Bo Melton: 3 targets, 1 reception, 28 yards receiving
Malik Heath: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards receiving
The backup receivers were decent in the opportunity that they received in this game. Melton had a chance at a touchdown but couldn’t hold on to it. They don’t have much value unless more of the top receivers get hurt.
Tucker Kraft: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 53 yards receiving, 1 TD, 1 FUM
Luke Musgrave: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards receiving
Kraft continues to look like the better tight end over Musgrave. Kraft was used underneath as Love’s safety blanket in this game. Most of his targets were short passes that would gain six to seven yards. Kraft’s best play was a sideline 13-yard touchdown catch in which he leaped into the endzone. Kraft could have high-end TE2 value with Jordan Love back on the field.