Dalvin Cook Injury Update Significantly Boosts Alexander Mattison Fantasy Outlook in Week 6

It's looking like the Minnesota Vikings are going to be without Dalvin Cook for their Week 6 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Cook suffered a groin injury that knocked him out of the team's Week 5 tilt with the Seattle Seahawks, and he was not able to practice on Wednesday.

With Cook likely sidelined this week, Vikings' backup running back Alexander Mattison has a chance to return RB1 value on Sunday.

Vikings practice pool report: RB Dalvin Cook (groin) is not practicing neither is WR KJ Osborn (hamstring), CB Holton Hill (foot) and DT Jaleel Johnson. Guard Pat Elflein and LB Troy Dye are both eligible to come off injured reserve but still on side. DE Danielle Hunter not here.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 14, 2020

Dalvin Cook Injury Update

Cook had reportedly been trending toward missing Week 5 even before he missed Wednesday's practice, so his absence certainly doesn't come as a shock. At this point it would be a huge surprise if he played this weekend.

Minnesota is on bye in Week 7, so his fantasy managers will have to make due without him for the next two weeks, but consecutive weeks off should help him get back to full health by Week 8.

Alexander Mattison Fantasy Outlook

As for Cook's backup, it's not a stretch to think he could finish as a top-10 RB on Sunday. Mattison shined in relief of Cook on Sunday night, turning 23 opportunities (20 carries plus 3 targets) into 136 yards from scrimmage.

He should benefit from a really soft matchup against Atlanta. The Falcons are the league's fifth-worst defense, per Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics, and they're currently surrendering the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.

The only tricky thing with picking up Mattison is that he'll likely only be a valuable commodity for one week. If you're a Cook manager or in need of a short-term boost at RB, Mattison is a no-brainer off the waiver wire. Just don't expect anything out of him once Cook is back in the lineup.

GET AN INSTANT DEPOSIT BONUS UP TO 500! We'll match 20% of your first deposit on FanDuel Fantasy Sports. Max bonus $500

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. 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 their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.