Monday Morning Break

Ken Kelly

Good morning!

Our Monday Morning Break article has two different meanings. First, we’re stalled a little as we wait for the Monday Night Football game to cap off the week, thus fantasy football is “taking a break.” Second, there’s bound to be a “break,” as in a significant injury that has impact on dynasty leagues moving forward. When something significant happens on Sundays, expect to see this article pop up on Monday mornings so we can cover any injuries as best we can, knowing some information may simply not be available quite yet.

With all that said, there was one very significant injury this week (we’re waiting for official word on Chris Carson and some minor ones as well).  However, the injury to Dalvin Cook is clearly the focus of dynasty leagues this morning as the shockwaves continue to be absorbed. Let’s take a look at the players whose values have been affected by the injury to the promising young running back.

Dalvin Cook, RB MIN

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Terrible.

Every year brings us unfortunate injuries and this is a big one. While it’s yet to be confirmed, we’re assuming Cook has indeed torn his left ACL. We’ll hope for the best here and pray the initial diagnosis is incorrect. However, it’s not often where teams believe there’s a torn ACL and it turns out to be something minor.

Cook was off to a great start in his young career, rushing for 354 yards and two touchdowns on 74 carries (good for a 4.8 yards per carry average) and also posting 11 catches for 90 receiving yards. He was quickly showing everyone any concerns about the Minnesota offensive line, his character or his poor combine showing were greatly miscalculated. In short, Cook was quickly becoming a pillar for dynasty teams to build around. Cook’s ADP had bottomed out around 40 in July but was on a serious upswing over the past couple of months as he showed the same salivating ability we grew accustomed to seeing when he was at Florida State.

cook

Now this.

The list of running backs who come back from torn ACLs to have great careers isn’t quite as long as that of pitchers who come back from Tommy John surgery but that doesn’t mean it’s not likely. It’s early enough in the season where it’s not impossible to see him back and ready for opening day next season. It often takes two years for players to truly come back to form (part of that is likely mental) after an ACL surgery but there’s no reason to believe this injury is going to completely derail his career. While this injury is devastating to his short-term prospects, Cook should still have a bright future. It will be very interesting to see just where his ADP falls over the next few months. In fact, he could be a trade target for a rebuilding team if Cook is currently on a serious contender. While we don’t want to downplay the severity of the injury, we’re still talking about a 22 year old who has ample time to recover. This is a blow to his value but it’s not of the “knockout” variety.

Latavius Murray, RB MIN

Murray was signed as a free agent this off-season and was expected to carry the load for Minnesota until Cook was drafted and threw cold water on that idea. With Cook likely on the shelf for the season, Murray is again on the dynasty radar.

Over his three years in Oakland, Murray averaged around four yards per carry behind a really good offensive line, scoring 20 touchdowns in the process. While not nearly the player Cook is, Murray should be able to pay back the Vikings for their three-year, $15 million investment they have in him. His ceiling is likely that of a low-end RB2 but that’s a whole lot better than it was Sunday morning. In addition, Jerick McKinnon is hurt (again) and may not be ready for third down duties, making Murray even more intriguing. He’s available in many leagues and will undoubtedly be the top add this week.

While expectations should be tempered with Murray, this puts some serious value into a dynasty portfolio that was clearly on life support.

murray

Jerick McKinnon, RB MIN

If the Vikings had faith in McKinnon as a key cog in their offense, they wouldn’t have signed Murray or drafted Cook. Still, he moves up one spot on the depth chart and is in line for third down duties, making him a very interesting add in PPR leagues. However, he hurt his ankle in the game today as well and it’s fair to wonder just what he’s going to be able to do in an expanded role. Still, he’s certainly worth a roster spot as we see just what Minnesota does.

The offense in Minnesota changed dramatically in one play on Sunday. While there have been highlights in the passing game this year (Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are off to amazing starts), the injuries to Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook clearly have the potential to throw the Vikings season off the rails. Hopefully it doesn’t do the same to your dynasty team.

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ken kelly