Dalvin Cook Injury Update Boosts Fantasy Outlook in Week 8

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is set to return to practice on Wednesday. As expected, this puts him on track to play in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers.

Assuming all goes as planned and he suits up, Cook will be firmly back in the high-end RB1 conversation this weekend.

Dalvin Cook Fantasy Outlook

A matchup with this Packers' defense has been a goldmine for fantasy running backs this season.

Their run defense ranks in the bottom 12 of the league at No. 22 in Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics, surrendering a hefty 4.6 yards per carry (T-No. 20 in the NFL). And no one surrenders more PPR points per game to opposing RBs than Green Bay's 33.3.

That should obviously mean big things for Cook this weekend.

Prior to the Week 5 injury, Cook was turning 21.6 opportunities (18.8 carries plus 2.8 targets) into 116.0 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring 6 TDs through four games. That made him fantasy's RB3 with 93.4 PPR points in that time.

Assuming he's still handling the lion's share of the touches, Cook has a real shot to be the top-scoring player of the week in a matchup this juicy.

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.