Guest Post: Don't overlook the Vikings this season
There are rumblings in the north, and it’s got nothing to do with Game of Thrones. The football club in Minnesota that has been subjugated by Aaron Rodgers and company in recent years is coming, and this Vikings offense is primed to surprise this season.
It’s been almost exactly a year since Teddy Bridgewater went down and the Vikings scrambled into immediate contingency plan mode, eventually ending up with Sam Bradford under center for the 2016 season. This move was, of course, met with some criticism as Bradford has historically been one of those players that fans love to hate, but his performance last year silenced some of the snickering.
The former first-overall draft pick broke the NFL record for completion percentage in a season, leading the league at a clip of 71.6% (per Pro Football Reference), all while working with a downright dilapidated offensive line and such backfield compatriots as the warthog-esque Matt Asiata and untapped-potential/twitter-darling Jerick McKinnon. However, while the completion percentage stat has been pedaled about all offseason, less publicized has been the fact that Bradford also excelled under pressure and in the red zone, finishing first (45.0%) and third (67.5%) in efficiency in those areas, respectively. And while some have viewed Bradford as a nickel-and-dimer, he also finished with the sixth-best deep ball completion percentage as well, at 44.4%.
Bradford and the Vikes started off piping hot, heading into the week 6 bye with a 5-0 record, but then things turned a little sour as injuries affected every part of the team. Bradford did not waver and proceeded to have some of his better games in the latter half of the season, capped off with a 382-yard, three touchdown performance in the fantasy championship against the Packers.
Of course, Bradford had some help. One of the most exciting surprises to come out of the 2016 season was the emergence of Stefon Diggs, who saw 112 targets and responded with 84 catches for 900 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even more exciting is the fact that Diggs was limited by injuries during stretches of last season, with groin and hamstring issues keeping him from his full potential. Fully healthy now, Diggs has top 10 WR upside, and his reception total could hit 100 and beyond, barring any significant injuries.
Sam Bradford also elevated Kyle Rudolph (of all people) to a TE1 overall season, thanks in part to 132 targets, which led the position— 25 of which coming in the red zone, which was third-most for all tight ends. While 2016 was a historically weak season for tight end scoring, the fact that Bradford supported two top 24 wide receivers and the overall TE1 speaks to the fact that he’s been underrated by the community and it’s time to give him his due. And who was that other top 24 wide receiver? Adam Thielen.
If you didn’t know his name before that week 16 game last season, you definitely knew it afterwards. Thielen had been enjoying a mini-breakout himself in the back half of the 2016 season, commanding 5 or more targets and racking up double digit fantasy points in every game from weeks 9 to 14, and after he hung a 12-202-2 line on the Packers in the fantasy championship, the corks were officially out of the bottles.
Looking forward to 2017, optimism springs eternal for this football club, and it all starts with the offensive line. Last season the Vikings had the most injured offensive line in the NFL and a full season to rebuild and rehab has served them well. In PFF’s definitive ranking of each team’s OL, the Vikings experienced a significant jump, climbing from 29th at the end of 2016 to 14th in June. That kind of a change is going to be felt by Bradford, who will have more time and cleaner pockets to work with, and the healthy, restocked line will also aid the transition of one Dalvin Cook, who performed admirably in the preseason and can’t possibly be any worse than the running backs Minnesota trotted out last season.
Connor went more into detail about the Vikings run game and why Dalvin Cook is likely to succeed this season HERE
It’s a wonder Sam Bradford performed as well as he did last year after arriving in the 11th hour, and now that he’s had a full season to prepare while getting the “starter treatment” while working on the rapport with his receivers and OC Pat Shurmur, an even better 2017 season is coming.
It’s been reported that Adam Thielen will be working more in the slot this season, after sharing the role with Stefon Diggs in 2016. This gives Bradford a 6’3, 200 pound receiver to throw to in the middle on plays that Rudolph is blocking or being used elsewhere. This will lead to Diggs being deployed on the outside more often, and he can use his polished route-running and sure hands to beat defenders all up and down the field.
One aspect of predictive analysis that’s been a hot debate this offseason is strength of schedule. Well, for believers in using SOS to predict offensive success, the Minnesota Vikings should already be blippin’ and bloppin’ all over your radar. According to SharpFootballStats.com, the Vikings have the second-easiest offensive schedule, weighing 2016 defensive metrics as a major factor. In fact, when singling out just passing, the Vikings actually have the easiest schedule in the league.
When thinking about an offense to bet on in 2017—especially one where the pieces are this cheap—the time is now to invest in the Vikings. The bulked up line, injection of talent at running back, efficiency at quarterback, and upside and sure-handedness at receiver and tight end give us all the evidence we need to pinpoint this club as one to go after. Whether you still have a season long draft in the upcoming days or are an avid DFS player, keep Vikings players on your radar.
Thank you for reading and be sure to follow @TylerStrong95 on twitter!
