The Minnesota Vikings scored a touchdown to take a nine-point lead over the San Francisco 49ers just before halftime, but one of their key offensive contributors might’ve gotten hurt on the prior play. Running back Alexander Mattison appeared to get banged up right before the end of the quarter — here’s the latest.
Alexander Mattison Injury Update
Mattison hauled in a four-yard pass from Kirk Cousins with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter but subsequently took a hard hit from 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Mattison briefly stayed down on the field before perhaps sensing that the Vikings needed to spike the ball to stop the clock. He got up and got set next to Cousins for the spike but appeared to be in pain.
After the play, Mattison slowly walked to the sideline and was not on the field for Minnesota’s next play, a 60-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to rookie wideout Jordan Addison that gave the Vikings a 16-7 halftime lead.
Fortunately, Mattison returned when Minnesota’s offense started its first drive of the third quarter.
Mattison led Minnesota’s running backs with 19 first-half snaps. Cam Akers played 11, while Ty Chandler saw action on one play.
Mattison has played over half of the Vikings’ offensive snaps in every game this season. However, his playing time took a clear hit after Minnesota acquired Akers from the Los Angeles Rams.
A former third-round pick, Mattison became the Vikings’ RB1 after the club released longtime starter Dalvin Cook in June. Mattison re-signed with Minnesota in March, inking a two-year, $7 million deal.
Fantasy Fallout From Mattison’s Injury
Prior to getting shaken up late in the second quarter, Mattison produced 34 yards on six carries against the 49ers. While Mattison was effective in the first half, Akers also saw five touches for 54 yards through the first two quarters on Monday Night Football.
If Mattison misses any time moving forward, Akers would immediately jump into the RB2 conversation on a weekly basis, with Chandler getting a slight bump in value as the Vikings’ complementary option behind Akers.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Derek Tate