How Valuable is Stefon Diggs in Dynasty Leagues?
Few wide receivers have been as fascinating in the off-season as Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs. An exceptionally gifted wideout, Diggs’ status with the organization is up in the air as of right now. Throughout the 2019 season, he expressed his frustrations with not being targeted in the offense, and that combined with his vague tweets from his Twitter account has confused and concerned Vikings fans everywhere.
Vikings fans have a right to be concerned, as Diggs is no pushover at the wide receiver position. For the season he finished with 63 catches, a career-high 1,130 yards, six touchdowns, and 17.94 yards per reception. In FantasyData’s rankings, Diggs was 89th in fantasy points among all players (149.1) and finished as the WR18.
The former fifth-rounder is best known for his game-winning catch in the Minneapolis Miracle, but beyond that Diggs has long been one of the team’s most exciting and beloved players. From a route-running standpoint, he’s one of the league’s absolute best, and a convincing case can be made to suggest that no one is as good of a route runner as he is.
Diggs is under contract in Minnesota through 2023, but based on discussions and rumors no one knows for certain if his 2019 season was his last with the Vikings. If that’s the case, there should be a plethora of teams offering capital to acquire him, as he’s only 26 years old and in the prime of his career. Whether he stays in the NFC North or not, Diggs would instantly boost a team’s receiving corps.
Depending on your view, you either think of Diggs as one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL or one of the most overrated due to his career statistics. Personally, I think he’s one of the more underrated, as I find his raw numbers to be a disservice to the kind of quality he offers as a receiver. Adam Thielen has put up more numbers in the last few years and is a damn good player himself, but Diggs is the true number one receiver for the Vikings, so his loss would be another team’s gain.
For more on that, let’s dive into Diggs’ tape from 2019, as it’s full of fantastic plays sure to get your dynasty team hyped.
Diggs’ route running is silky smooth, and there’s no getting around it. The movement on his breaks is crazy fast and he’s made many ankles turn into dust, and it can’t be argued that he has one of the absolute best head fakes in football.
Take this touchdown catch against the Eagles for instance. It’s against zone coverage, but the separation Diggs uses to get open is extremely impressive. He executes a small break outside to bait the corner into preparing for a slant route before cutting back inside. His head fake sells the route completely, and his quick hip turn and balance breaking inside allow him to get open immediately.
Kirk Cousins is able to locate Diggs and fire a bullet to the back of the end zone. Diggs’ concentration allows him to prevent the ball from being disrupted by the defensive back and he toe taps in bounds to secure the touchdown.
Diggs is so loved by many NFL fans because of his status as a route technician. He’s very athletic and his exceptional footwork allows him to create more space between him and a defender than most wide receivers can say at the top of a route.
This is one of the best curl routes I’ve seen from any receiver in recent memory. Look at the amount of space that Diggs’ cut at the top of the route leaves between him and the defensive back. While he fumbles the ball to the Redskins on this play (not shown), the route is what should be the focus. This is an incredible cut from Diggs.
Diggs’ route running brilliance continues against man and press coverage. He’s so good, almost too good, at creating separation against one on one matchups.
He receives tight coverage from Xavier Woods on this route, but a use of hesitation allows him to get a step ahead of Woods. Unfortunately, the pass from Cousins is badly underthrown, treating this like a back-shoulder toss but with worse placement.
While this is initially ruled incomplete, replay revealed Diggs actually made a sensational effort to prevent the ball from hitting the ground, and after further review the play was ruled a catch. Diggs’ ball skills have always been otherworldly, helping the margin for error for every quarterback he’s played with. This was one outstanding example of such.
Diggs just makes it look too easy at times. His release off the line of scrimmage is fantastic, exemplified by this touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Packers. Once again he’s lined up against press, and the quick acceleration and push off of the first step after the snap gets him open immediately.
This is a perfect example of a free release, and Cousins sees that as well as he rewards Diggs’ efforts with an accurate pass down the sideline for the score.
When people say Stefon Diggs is a top-ten wide receiver, they point to plays like this as why. I tend to agree, as he’s the kind of difference-maker any team would love to have, and I’d easily scoop him up between the third and fifth rounds of a fantasy or dynasty draft.
Even with his issues with the Vikings offense and his numerous on-camera frustrations, this isn’t all that concerning to me. Diggs offered incredible stretches of play in 2019, including a three-game stretch where he put up 453 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 21 catches (21.57 yards per reception). He’s one of the best receivers in all of football and certainly one of the more underrated players. He may lack the consistent numbers of an elite receiver, but I’d argue he has just as much value as one.
- 2023 NFL Draft: IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Winners and Losers from the NFC - June 1, 2023
- 2023 NFL Draft: Best Fits for Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud - April 19, 2023
- Fresh Off the Bye Week: Bengals, Jets, Patriots and Ravens - November 18, 2022
