10 Lists of 10: Vikings’ MVP Candidates, Value Cap Hits, Areas of Concern, & Plenty More
K. Joudry
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Tip of the cap to Matthew Berry, one of the best fantasy footballers in the business (if not the best). The long-time fantasy writer has had a marvellous career – personally, I’m thrilled to see him doing his work for Rotoworld – and one of the article ideas he has done in the past is a 10 lists of 10 piece.
The version for PurplePTSD consists of the Vikings’ MVP candidates, the best value cap hits in 2023, the main positions of concern, and several other topics of interest. A certain sensational WR finds his way onto several of the lists – he even gets one devoted to him – but there are all kinds of repeats. Consider for your entertainment a humble offering of Vikings inspired 10 lists of 10. In each instance, things proceed in descending order. The #1 option is considered the preeminent option for that particular topic.
1 – The Vikings’ MVP Candidates
10) Brian O’Neill
9) Christian Darrisaw
8) Harrison Smith
7) T.J. Hockenson
6) Marcus Davenport
5) Byron Murphy
4) Danielle Hunter
3) Alexander Mattison
2) Justin Jefferson
1) Kirk Cousins
Jefferson, the team’s undisputed greatest player, is a wide receiver. The league’s highest award almost always goes to a QB. Cousins gets the nod for top spot simply due to position. Truthfully, the Vikings really only have a pair of players capable of even entering the realm of possibility for the award: the QB1 and WR1. A miracle would need to occur for any other Viking to enter the conversation.
2 – Positions that Cause the Most Anxiety
10) Receiver
9) Safety
8) Offensive Tackle
7) Tight End
6) Defensive Tackle
5) Linebacker
4) Quarterback
3) Pass Rusher
2) Interior Offensive Line
1) Corner
What happens if Byron Murphy flops? Could be bad times for Brian Flores and Minnesota’s defense. Oh, and some Vikings fans may have grown accustomed to seeing the center and guards regularly allow pressure right up the middle. The Danielle Dilemma hangs over the edge rusher position.
3 – Sophomores Staring Down the Most Pressure in 2023
10) Ryan Wright
9) Vederian Lowe
8) Esezi Otomewo
7) Luiji Vilain
6) Ty Chandler
5) Akayleb Evans
4) Brian Asamoah
3) Ed Ingram
2) Lewis Cine
1) Andrew Booth Jr.
Coming out of the draft, Andrew Booth Jr. received criticism for being injury prone. His rookie season reaffirmed rather than refuted those concerns. Seeing as how the team traded up to go get him (details here and here), Booth faces some serious pressure to perform. He’s likely feeling the heat, especially since Evans played better last season.
4 – Youngsters (25 or Younger) Set Up for More Snaps
10) Christian Darrisaw (due to past injury)
9) Patrick Jones
8) Josh Metellus
7) Jalen Nailor
6) Ty Chandler
5) Akayleb Evans
4) Andrew Booth Jr.
3) Brian Asamoah
2) Lewis Cine
1) Alexander Mattison
Somehow, Mr. Mattison has just hit the quarter-century mark. Pretty wild considering he’s entering his 5th season in the NFL. With the departure of Dalvin Cook, Mattison stands to benefit the most. He’ll very easily set a career high in snaps as long as his health cooperates.
5 – Sensational Justin Jefferson Facts
10) He’s only 24.
9) His 4,825 receiving yards is the most ever for a player before his 24th birthday.
8) No receiver has ever hit 1,400 yards or more in his first trio of seasons in the NFL. Until Jefferson, that is.
7) Eclipsing 1,500 yards in 2023 will make Jefferson the first receiver to ever accomplish the feat in three consecutive seasons.
6) He has been an All Pro in every season of his career.
5) Jefferson is already in the top 10 for receiving yards in Vikings history.
4) Piling up 1,609 yards in 2023 will catapult Jefferson into the franchise’s top 5.
3) He owns the single-season Vikings record for receptions and receiving yards.
2) Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Jalen Reagor were all selected before Jefferson. How did Jefferson become the 5th WR taken? Wild.
1) His cap hit in 2023 is a paltry $4,175,438.
Less hierarchical and more of a hodgepodge of wondrous statistical facts and details. What more can we say? Great player and leader.
6 – Most Significant Vikings Players
10) Alexander Mattison
9) Garrett Bradbury
8) Brian O’Neill
7) Marcus Davenport
6) T.J. Hockenson
5) Christian Darrisaw
4) Byron Murphy
3) Kirk Cousins
2) Danielle Hunter
1) Justin Jefferson
Admittedly, measuring someone’s “significance” is fairly subjective. Some combination of being elite and playing an important position combine to create significance to a team. Think top talent at a position like QB, WR, CB, EDGE, and OT. Does the team have anyone like that? Start with #18 and then go from there.
7 – Best 2023 Value Cap Hits
10) Kirk Cousins – $20.2M
9) T.J. Hockenson – $9.3M
8) Josh Metellus – $1M
7) Blake Brandel – 940K
6) Marcus Davenport – $6M
5) Khyiris Tonga – 940K
4) Danielle Hunter – $13.1M
3) Byron Murphy – $2.8M
2) Christian Darrisaw – $3.6M
1) Justin Jefferson – $4.2M
For simplicity, I rounded up on a lot of the numbers. To be sure, a lot of the value is fairly artificial since we’re dealing with plenty of rookie deals. Nevertheless, there’s an important truth present: nailing the draft picks is a wonderful way of making the budget work.
8 – Most Valuable Fantasy Players
10) DeWayne McBride
9) Jalen Nailor
8) Josh Oliver
7) Ty Chandler
6) K.J. Osborn
5) Jordan Addison
4) Kirk Cousins
3) T.J. Hockenson
2) Alexander Mattison
1) Justin Jefferson
Don’t overthink it. Mr. Jefferson, especially in PRR, is a locked-in stud. Meanwhile, Alexander Mattison is staring down fantasy stardom. The difficulty that is the tight end position means Hockenson is sneaky important in fantasy football. Playing in a dynasty league would change up the rankings.
9 – Most Difficult Opponents in 2024
10) @ Broncos, Week 11
9) @ Bears, Week 6
8) @ Packers, Week 8
7) Lions, Week 16
6) @ Lions, Week 18
5) Chargers, Week 3
4) Chiefs, Week 5
3) 49ers, Week 7
2) @ Bengals, Week 15
1) @ Eagles, Week 2
The schedule has a very clear top four games when it comes to difficulty. The opening-week game against the Bucs doesn’t scare anyone, but failing to overcome Tampa Bay would make things even dicier in Week 2. Want to fully venture into Bizarro World? See the Vikings lose in Week 1 and then win in Week 2. Good luck making sense of that scenario.
10 – Vikings Inspired Fantasy Team Names
10) Air Jordan (Jordan Addison)
9) Chandler’s Friends (Ty Chandler)
8) Oliver Twist (Josh Oliver)
7) Old Greg (Greg Joseph)
6) The Osborns (K.J. Osborn)
5) Captain Kirk (Kirk Cousins)
4) Alexander the Great (Alexander Mattison)
3) Lock, Hock, and 2 Smoking Barrels (T.J. Hockenson)
2) The Jeffersons (Justin Jefferson)
1) Purple Eggs & Ham (C.J. Ham)
Fantasy football names are seldom original. I scoured the roster for names that easily lend themselves to puns, but there are people out there who have surely thought of plenty of these team titles before. Alas, an attempt was made. Oh, and a PSA: relying on the player pun must involve having that player on your roster. Don’t set the team name as Alexander the Great unless Mattison is on the team (in my humble opinion).
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
