Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings Matchup Preview 11/17/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy
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The (3-6) Broncos travel to Minnesota to take on the (7-3) Vikings. The Broncos have struggled due to their offense. They had to start Brandon Allen in Week 9 after Joe Flacco was found to have a neck injury. Allen led the Broncos to victory over the Browns in Week 9, throwing for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. They sit at the bottom of the AFC West without much of a chance of reaching the playoffs. Their offense is not in a position to become very successful, especially after trading away Emmanuel Sanders. The Vikings currently sit in the second wildcard spot in the NFC, but just one game behind the Packers in the division. They are in clear reach of surpassing them but need to win the games that they should be winning. The Packers on a bye week this week, so the Vikings can move within half a game with a win as they move into their own bye week the following week. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings matchup page.
TV Schedule
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2019
Time: 1:00pm ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN
Coverage: CBS
Injury Report
Denver Broncos: TE Jeff Heuerman (Q), CB Bryce Callahan (Q), S Will Parks (Q), DE DeMarcus Walker (Q), OT Ja’Wuan James (D)
Minnesota Vikings: G Josh Kline (Q), S Andrew Sendejo (Q), WR Adam Thielen (Q), DT Linval Joseph (Q), CB Trae Waynes (Q)
Denver Broncos Analysis
The Broncos are coming off their bye week into a tough game against the Vikings who have been defeating teams one by one, winning five of their last six. The Broncos do have some momentum behind them. In their last game, they were able to slide past the Browns under new leadership. With Joe Flacco out with a neck injury, the Broncos have had to call on Brandon Allen to lead the team. He is now 1-0 as the Broncos’ quarterback and is likely to continue on. He will be facing a tougher challenge this week with having to deal with the Vikings’ defense.
Allen does have some help. Philip Lindsay had a good game in their last matchup against the Browns. He rushed for 92 yards on just 9 carries with a touchdown. Royce Freeman has also been a solid change-of-pace back to provide the offense with a little kick. To beat the Vikings, their defense will have to be a brick wall. The Vikings’ defense is too good and Broncos’ offense is not good enough to win that way. The defense will need to focus on shutting down Dalvin Cook. He has been the source of most of the Vikings’ success, especially with Adam Thielen out. Stopping Cook will be vital to their success this week.
Denver Broncos Depth Chart
QB: Brandon Allen
RB1: Phillip Lindsay
RB2: Royce Freeman
WR1: Courtland Sutton
WR2: DaeSean Hamilton
WR3: Juwann Winfree
TE: Jeff Heuerman
Minnesota Vikings Analysis
The Vikings have been great at handling below average teams. Outside of their embarrassing loss to the Bears, they have only lost to the Packers and Chiefs who are both divisional leaders. Even with the absence of Adam Thielen the past few weeks, the Vikings were able to pick up a big win over the Cowboys last week on Sunday Night football. Dalvin Cook has stepped up on the ground and through the air to lead their offense. Against the Cowboys, he rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown while also gaining 86 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Against a tough defense like the Broncos, his involvement will be key again.
The Broncos have allowed just 18.9 points per game, so this game is likely to be a low-scoring affair. With a bye week looming next week, the Vikings are likely to sit Thielen again to give him extra rest. That will take a valuable tool out of the offense, and it will be up to Dalvin Cook again to produce results. Stefon Diggs is likely to be covered heavily which puts the pressure on Cook.
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
WR1: Stefon Diggs
WR2: Olabisi Johnson
WR3: Adam Thielen
TE: Kyle Rudolph
Daily Fantasy: Cook
Dalvin Cook has been a top fantasy running back all season just behind Christian McCaffrey who has been an absolute stud. With Adam Thielen out, Cook has only received more work in the offense, raising his fantasy value even higher. His ability to both have an impact running and receiving the ball give him immense value. The Broncos will provide a tougher challenge for Cook and the Vikings this week, but his workload will give him a lot of value regardless of who they play.