There's an unusual amount of fantasy chaos heading into the Chargers-Vikings Thursday Night Football matchup. At least once a season, most managers wonder "Should I start Player A tonight or wait and start Player B Sunday?" That question might be relevant for half a dozen or more players this evening.
Starting with the Vikings, as of early morning Thursday, Aaron Jones is questionable. Not much needs to be said about one of the most consistently terrific running backs of this decade (five top-14 RB seasons in the past six years) . . . who's nearly 31 and seemingly isn't the same player he once was. If he's back, he might get more touches than Jordan Mason. I believe it would be a hot-hand situation. The Chargers are giving up the fifth-most yards per carry (5.1). This would be a terrific opportunity for Mason if Jones were still sidelined. Instead, managers might be rolling the dice on which one will get 12+ touches.
Through the air, Carson Wentz has one more shot to prove he deserves the starting job over JJ McCarthy. On balance, I still believe Wentz is better for those rostering Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. But if he looks as shaky as he did this past weekend against Philly, it might not matter.
For the Chargers, Kimani Vidal is a major pressure-point start. He was featured in two of FF4W podcast episodes over the summer. But is he as good as what we saw vs. Miami? Or is the former sixth-rounder more of a middling fill-in, like we saw vs. Indy? The Vikings' run D is right around the midpoint of the Dolphins' and Colts', so tonight will be an important test. But managers don't want tests. We want answers before the tests are handed out. Unfortunately, Vidal lacks the track record to be a "confident" start. I suggest rolling with him if you don't have a reliable double-digit #2 RB playing Sunday/Monday, and then hope volume wins the day (i.e. Justin Herbert doesn't throw it another 50+ times).
As for the passing attack, Herbert has the most loaded receiving corps of his career and can comfortably feed three of them. I did podcasts in July/August on all four WRs (including Tre' Harris) and did one yesterday on Oronde Gadsden II. The bad news is that Minnesota's surrendering the fourth-fewest WR fantasy points per game. The good news is that Herbert threw for 300 yards and a score in Week 3 against Denver -- the team giving up the *fewest* WR fantasy points. Two of L.A.'s three primary WRs should be fine, meaning they're all essentially worth starting, and Gadsden is tough to bench in general.
Final score prediction: Chargers win 37-16. Tough to beat that. Unless I'm way off.
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