Stefon Diggs had a big year in 2018. The Minnesota Vikings receiver put up career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns right after signing a five-year contract extension last July. In his first year with Kirk Cousins as his quarterback, he finished with 102 catches for 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns.
He's still only 25 and won't turn 26 until November, but the folks over at ESPN apparently think he's due for some regression. ESPN's fantasy shop projects him to finish with 89 receptions, 930 yards, and six touchdowns in 2019. It's unclear exactly why they expect him to take a step back.
Of course, Diggs will be competing for targets with Adam Thielen, but he was doing that last season too and both receivers had career years. The Vikings didn't really add much at receiver this offseason, and there's also a real possibility they trade tight end Kyle Rudolph away before the season starts. That would increase their target-share even more, and Minnesota doesn't have too many appealing options on the roster.
They'll also now have had more time to develop a relationship with Cousins, and build some chemistry. The one thing that could support their prediction is that the Vikings might look to run the ball more in 2019. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was very public about his desire to run more last season, and he ended up firing offensive coordinator John DeFilippo over a difference in philosophy.
Even if the Vikings do seek to establish a more consistent running game, it shouldn't impact Diggs too much. The improvements they made to the offensive line this offseason will only help Cousins, and in turn his receivers. Diggs would surely like to have a word with whoever made these projections.
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