The Minnesota Vikings will face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Vikings skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Sam Darnold, QB
The Seahawks boast an average pass defense by any measure, and that makes this a reasonable bounce-back spot for Sam Darnold as he comes off of his first game in a month without multiple touchdown passes.
The 2024 version of Darnold is essentially 2023 Brock Purdy in that he has a strong supporting cast and is excelling, for the most part, at pulling the right levers at the right time.
He’s a low-end QB1 for me this week, with the thought being that we get the traditional 250 passing yards and two scores.
That stat line is fine if the rest of your team offers plus upside.
Aaron Jones, RB
Aaron Jones has not been Josh Jacobs-levels of good, but he’s been great, and fantasy managers can feel good about counting on him this week against a defense that allows the fifth-most yards per carry before contact to running backs.
Jones has multiple receptions in four straight games and at least 15 carries in six of his past eight. This isn’t the type of running back with a clean path to top-five value, but safely sliding into the top 20 seems safe, and that’ll work this time of year.
Cam Akers, RB
Cam Akers remains the definitive handcuff to Aaron Jones and nothing more. He’ll slide into the back end of my RB2 rankings should Jones end up missing time for any reason, but he’ll remain comfortably outside of my top 30 any week that’s not the case — and that’s where we stand right now.
Jordan Addison, WR
Jordan Addison is going to be the poster child for players like Rome Odunze and Xavier Worthy this offseason — rookie receivers who put good film out there before coming into their own during Year 2.
Here is the entire list of receivers with more than 40 targets since Week 11:
- Puka Nacua: 52 targets (130 routes)
- Jakobi Meyers: 51 (218)
- Ja’Marr Chase: 51 (180)
- Jerry Jeudy: 50 (213)
- CeeDee Lamb: 50 (174)
- Keenan Allen: 49 (201)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 49 (203)
- DJ Moore: 46 (207)
- Malik Nabers: 46 (168)
- Tyreek Hill: 44 (194)
- Jordan Addison: 44 (169)
- Brian Thomas Jr.: 43 (150)
- Davante Adams: 42 (150)
- Justin Jefferson: 42 (187)
I’m not suggesting that we have a WR committee in Minnesota or anything like that, but the ability to earn targets at effectively a St. Brown rate over an extended period of time while Jefferson is healthy is downright impressive.
It should be noted that Addison’s aDOT over that stretch trails only Jeudy of the names on that list. On the whole, I’d read that as a positive, as the ability to earn targets with that level of consistency downfield is even more difficult to do. However, the Seahawks focus on taking away those shot plays.
Through 15 weeks, Seattle owns the second-lowest opponent aDOT, which is why I have a little hesitation about locking in Addison ahead of a Ladd McConkey type with a safer floor.
The second-year star still ranks as a top-25 receiver for me and can be started in most spots. I just wanted to provide a little bit of context, as it is very possible that you have Addison rostered alongside a trio of stars.
Justin Jefferson, WR
For the second time this season, Justin Jefferson has caught at least seven passes in three straight games. We’d also be looking at consecutive multi-TD games if he didn’t put a 30-yard touchdown on the ground last week.
There’s a lot of talk these days as to who the best receiver is in the NFL. Jefferson seemed to have that title coming into the year, but the narrative has shifted, with some favoring Ja’Marr Chase.
I don’t have a strong take in either direction, but I will say that you need to dig deeper than raw box-score numbers. Comparing Chase’s fourth season with a QB with whom he shared a college locker room with to Jefferson’s first in an offense led by a quarterback that the NFL was close to giving up on just isn’t an apples-to-apples situation.
T.J. Hockenson, TE
With each passing week and the postseason an inevitability, the Vikings are best served to see if their star tight end can approach elite form. T.J. Hockenson’s snap share has gradually moved in the right direction after a November ramp-up, and I have no problem in labeling him as the pass catcher on this roster I trust most to fit the complementary role next to Justin Jefferson.
Jordan Addison has been great and carries more per-target upside than Hockenson, I don’t think that’s debatable, but the postseason can be as much about not beating yourself as it is about outright winning games. In that regard, I like what a fully involved Hockenson offers this offense.
The more that Minnesota puts on his plate, the better for fantasy managers. A short week here and then a west-to-east travel situation before your fantasy Super Bowl isn’t ideal, but I’ve got Hock locked into my top five at the position.
