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3 Minnesota Vikings Bold Predictions for Week 2

By Jason Schandl

Bold predictions for the Minnesota Vikings against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
Bold predictions for the Minnesota Vikings against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. / Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
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The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a Week 1 loss in a shootout against the Green Bay Packers. The Indianapolis Colts suffered a Week 1 divisional loss of their own, being upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It wouldn't be shocking to see either team bounce back with a win this week, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be some surprises in this one.

Here are three bold predictions for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.

1. Dalvin Cook Has 25 Carries

Dalvin Cook had an uncharacteristically small workload in Week 1, notching just 12 carries. As a team, though, the Vikings combined for 22 rushes to 25 pass attempts. Such a close run-pass ratio coming while playing from behind in a shootout is a crystal-clear indication that this team wants to run the ball. Expect that to translate to big volume in Week 2 for Cook, who hit the 25-carry mark twice in 2019.

2. The Vikings Give Up Fewer than 250 Passing Yards

After giving up 364 yards in Week 1, the Vikes' secondary isn't exactly drawing rave reviews. Aaron Rodgers turned in a throwback performance though, and he did a ton of his damage with one of the NFL's best wideouts in Davante Adams. Philip Rivers had an impressive 363 yards of his own, but he also did that while throwing the ball 46 times — something the run-heavy Colts may not ask him to do often. Even if Rivers does get a ton of attempts, his yardage total could stay low because of his reliance on throwing to his running backs — 17 of his 46 attempts were to his RBs in Week 1.

3. No Colts RB Rushes for 50 Yards

The Colts lost Marlon Mack to an ankle injury, which helps clear up the puzzle in their backfield. Even still, this is a clear committee with Nyheim Hines and rookie Jonathan Taylor set to play significant roles. Hines operates predominantly as a receiver (8 targets vs. 7 carries in Week 1), and the rookie Taylor averaged just 2.4 yards per carry in Week 1, while the rest of the Colts combined to average 5.0. He may still be adjusting to get comfortable at the NFL level since there was no preseason, and his matchup doesn't get any easier against Minnesota in Week 2.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.