(Getty)
It seems like every season the Minnesota Vikings have a wide receiver go from national unknown to sought-after fantasy commodity. In 2013, it was Cordarrelle Patterson. In 2014, it was Charles Johnson.
In 2015, it’s Stefon Diggs.
After being inactive for the first three weeks of the season, the rookie out of Maryland tallied six catches for 87 yards against the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and followed that up with seven receptions for 129 against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. Despite playing 40 percent of the team’s games, he is third in targets, third in receptions, second in receiving yards and easily first in yards per game.
It’s easy to write off a player with such little experience as a fluke, but don’t make that mistake with Diggs. He is a star in the making. Just ask teammate Mike Wallace, who compared Diggs to Antonio Brown:
You can tell from Day One who can play football or not. They have some exceptions where guys get better drastically over time. But for the most part, you can tell from Day One, can he play or can he not play? And I always felt like he could from Day One. Just the skill set, the way he runs his routes, the energy that he has. It reminds me of (Brown).
Diggs was a terrific talent in college but struggled with injuries and dropped to the Vikings in the fifth round. While he doesn’t possess elite size or speed, he is electric after the catch and showcases already-polished route-running ability. Just look at him embarrass Aqib Talib, one of the best corners in the NFL:
Stefon Diggs is STARTING at wide receiver today for the #Vikings. He did this to Aqib Talib two weeks ago.
When it comes to fantasy output, there are some concerns, of course. First, the Vikings are a run-heavy team that is 30th in the NFL in passing attempts per game. Second, the return of Charles Johnson, who has been out for both of Diggs’ games, may eat into his workload.
But you don’t ignore a player with Diggs’ talent. He has the look of a future star, it sounds like he’s about to surpass Johnson as a starter (and even if he doesn’t, he’s been too productive for the Vikings to keep him off the field) and his ceiling is sky-high, especially in PPR leagues.
Unless you are completely set at wide receiver, don’t be afraid to use a high waiver-wire priority on him.
