One of the more intriguing running backs heading into the 2019 season is Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings, and people should feel excited about his upside.
Last season, Cook was working back from a torn ACL which limited him to only 11 games. He had 133 rushing attempts for 615 yards and two touchdowns. He was also a big threat in the passing game catching 40 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Those stats meant he racked up 112 fantasy points which weren't enough for a guy that was supposed to be counted on in the starting lineup of your fantasy lineup every week. He ended the season ranked as the 31st best fantasy running back.
The outlook for 2019 is really encouraging, and there are some arguments that he could end up as a top five running back in terms of fantasy output if everything goes well.
The biggest news for Cook is that he is healthy right now which means he should be able to be counted on for every game. Even though he played 11 games last year, he was eased into the role which also cut into some of his production.
Latavius Murray is also gone which means Cook is the clear cut number one running back. Last season, Murray had 140 rushing attempts for 578 yards and six touchdowns. Murray also hauled in 22 receptions for 141 yards.
Behind Cook now is rookie Alexander Mattison who looks like he could fill the Murray role, but he is a rookie so I wouldn't expect him to get too many carries a game. The team also has Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah but neither of them will cut into much of Cook's production.
Mike Zimmer has also made clear that he wants to pound the rock, and has brought in his guys to make sure that will happen. Kevin Stefanski is the new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak has been brought in to be an advisor, and there is no doubt they will both follow what Zimmer wants.
The Vikings last year also had historically one of the worst offensive lines and they really can't get much worse. A lot of what Cook did last year was self-created and with bigger holes expected this year, the production for Cook should go up.
There really aren't many concerns about why his production could go down, except for injuries and that has to be a concern. In two seasons, he has only played 15 games which means there has to be some question if this is a guy who can be a feature back for a full season in this league.
The injuries do concern me, but Cook is going to be a key part of the offense and all of his missed games come from one ACL injury, and I think he should be able to stay healthy.
This is a player that should be a late second or third round pick and I think at that point he is a great value pick. Murray can be trusted this season and he should be a steal at his draft position.
A lot of teams with Cook on it are going to win fantasy football championships.
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