MINNESOTA (vs. N.Y. Jets)
The offense exceeded expectations in the Thanksgiving win over New England, but we're proceeding cautiously with key Vikings here. The Jets have one of the league's best defenses; only five teams have allowed fewer yards, and only three have allowed fewer points. Playing ...
... at home in a controlled climate, Minnesota has a decent chance of making it up to 3 TDs (they're averaging over 2.6 on the season), but that should be their ceiling against what's been a pretty tough defense. ... It's the latest crummy matchup in what's been a string of crummy matchups for Dalvin Cook. Last four: Commanders, Bills, Cowboys, Patriots, with only Dallas ranking outside the top 10 in run defense. The Jets are 12th, and are definitely capable of clogging things up at the line of scrimmage. They've also allowed just 3 rushing scores in their last six games (and 2 of those by Josh Allen). Cook's a talented guy, but he's been held in check on the ground in most ...
This report is taken from today's Week 13 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 20 pages of matchup previews, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
Haven't ordered yet? BUY IT NOW! Already a subscriber? LOG IN!
... of those previous four. He averaged 70 rushing yards (under 50 twice), with 1 TD. Not terrible, but compare that to him rushing for at least 75 yards in six of his first seven (90-plus four times), with 5 TDs on the ground. The Jets should be able to hold him to one of those lesser outings. Cook hasn't knocked it out of the park as a receiver, either, catching 26 passes for 160 yards and 1 TD. But he's caught at least 4 passes three times, including his two worst rushing games (Eagles and Patriots), and this is a similar type of matchup. Alexander Mattison hasn't been a factor lately (under 20 yards in each of the last four weeks against those tougher defenses). ... The matchup isn't any better for Kirk Cousins, with the Jets currently 9th in pass defense. New York has allowed only one 250-yard passer in its last eight, and just 3 touchdown passes in those contests -- they're good. Best that can be said is with the exception of the Dallas debacle, Cousins has been very good lately, both in tough matchups for the offense and when the ground game has been limited. Against Washington, Buffalo and New England, Cousins averaged 307 passing yards and threw 6 touchdowns; two of those teams have been just as tough on opposing quarterbacks as the Jets. There have been meltdown games (at Philadelphia and Dallas, with those secondaries and pass rushes giving him problems), but more often than not he's been very sharp. But a poor situation, and very much a defense can hold him to below-average numbers. ... Justin Jefferson gets a tough matchup with a Jets secondary featuring Sauce Gardner, but no one should be seriously considering sitting him down. Jefferson has been held under 98 yards just three times all season; five times he's caught at least 9 passes. Most other No. 1s to face this secondary have got their numbers.
| No. 1 WRs versus the Jets | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | TD |
| Bateman, Balt. | 2 | 59 | 1 |
| Cooper, Clev. | 9 | 101 | 1 |
| Chase, Cin. | 6 | 29 | 1 |
| Johnson, Pit. | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Hill, Mia. | 7 | 47 | 0 |
| Lazard, G.B. | 4 | 76 | 1 |
| Jeudy, Den. | 7 | 96 | 0 |
| Meyers, N.E. | 9 | 60 | 1 |
| Diggs, Buf. | 5 | 93 | 0 |
| Meyers, N.E. | 4 | 52 | 0 |
Skylar Thompson quarterbacked the Miami game; Darnell Mooney got hurt for Chicago last week. As for Adam Thielen, if Gardner is focusing on Jefferson, it could benefit the No. 2. George Pickens, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are among the "other" wide receivers to go over 90 receiving yards against the Jets, while Boyd and Devin Duvernary scored. Thielen comes off his best game all year against New England (9-61-1), but he's been fairly consistent, averaging 5 catches for 50 yards on the season. K.J. Osborn, in contrast, hasn't done much lately. In his last six he averages 2 catches for 14 yards, with 1 TD. ... T.J. Hockenson has been a big factor, catching 26 passes in four games since joining the team. (He caught the same number in seven games with the Lions this season.) But we're ranking him lower than usual, with the Jets one of just two teams that haven't allowed a touchdown to a tight end all season. ... Greg Joseph has been busy lately, kicking multiple field goals in three of four (the exception being the Dallas train wreck). The Jets have a great defense, but it's worked to the benefit of opposing kickers at times. New York has allowed only 2 fewer field goals (17) than extra points (19). ... The Vikings Defense looks like a decent choice, with 29 sacks (14th) and 18 takeaways (5th). Mike White was near-perfect starting against a lousy Bears defense last week, but it's a short track record -- when he started against an opportunistic Bills defense a year ago, he tossed 4 interceptions. White hasn't done enough to this point to be certain he'll have a clean stat sheet again. Kene Nwangwu scored on a kickoff return last week, giving him 3 in 22 career games.