In almost all cases when it comes to fantasy football start-sit debates, there are a lot of things to factor in. For Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook in Week 6, that’s not entirely true. When the news came that Cook would play in an elite matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, fantasy owners were excited to see their expected RB1 back on the field.
In a big update, the Vikings have made Cook inactive for Week 6, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Do not play him in any format.
A surprise: #Vikings RB Dalvin Cook is out. His workout was not enough to get him on the field.
Unfortunately, the news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter made the situation far worse and tougher to gauge.
Vikings’ RB Dalvin Cook, listed as questionable for Sunday due to a hamstring injury, is expected to play against the Cardinals, though it will be for only about half the offensive snaps, if that, per source. Cook still is not 100 percent.
With Cook only expected to play roughly half the snaps, it won’t be easy to convince yourself to start him with any confidence. But let’s take a look at the situation and see if the argument can be made.
Should You Start or Sit Dalvin Cook?
The Cardinals have been destroyed by running backs this season. They’ve allowed 660 rushing yards on 156 attempts with seven touchdowns. For good measure, Arizona has also given up 339 receiving yards and two additional touchdowns through the air to the position. If Cook were completely healthy, he’d be locked into lineups.
There is some remotely good news about the Cook situation, which is that backup Latavius Murray has struggled in a big way this season. He has two games with two rushing yards or less and has yet to top 42 yards on the ground.
Unfortunately, it’s still going to be hard to justify rolling out Cook. Barring your fantasy team having virtually no other options, I can’t justify recommending putting the second-year back in your lineup. Along with the injury, Cook has underwhelmed when on the field this year, totaling just 98 rushing yards on 36 attempts (2.7 yards per carry).
It makes sense to just stay away from the situation with the two backs splitting carries, even in an exceptional spot.
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Dalvin Cook Fantasy: Vikings RB a Must-Sit After Recent News