Preseason Wins Are Fine, But Vikings Will Need Key Answers In Season’s First 4 Weeks

The 2018 season was a disaster for the Minnesota Vikings, and they are determined to avoid the problems that impacted the team a year ago.

Minnesota was the preseason favorite to win the NFC Championship last year based on getting to the NFC Championship the year before and the addition of Kirk Cousins at quarterback and his $84 million contract.

However, the season was basically ruined after the first quarter of the season. After struggling to win the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers – they should have been able to overwhelm the Niners instead of hanging on for a 24-16 victory – the Vikings settled for a tie with the Green Bay Packers, suffered perhaps the worst loss of the season by dropping a 27-6 decision at home to the Buffalo Bills and losing a tough road game to the Los Angeles Rams.

The preseason sheen of superiority was completely erased by the 1-2-1 start, with the brutal loss to the Bills doing the most damage. Great teams rarely lose at home. They certainly don’t lose to inferior teams in that situation, and the three-touchdown margin was inexcusable.

That told the rest of the league everything they needed to about the Vikings, and it was telling in the locker room.

There are many elements that go into winning football games in the NFL, and confidence is one of those elements. Players can talk about maintaining confidence at any point in the season when meeting the media, but real confidence comes from consistent success and overall improvement. Getting handled for 60 minutes by the Bills was a cold slap in the face.

Confidence sprinted out the door at that point, and the rest of the season was a halting slog through the muck. Consistency was never a part of the Vikings season, and the season was largely ruined by the start of the season.

That’s why this year’s start is going to be so important. The Vikings need to be 3-0 after the first three weeks of the season when facing the Atlanta Falcons, Packers and Oakland Raiders before going to Chicago for their Week 4 game.

The Vikings will need quarterback Kirk Cousins to stand up to Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks, and if that is going to happen, the rebuilt offensive line is going to have to hold up against those marauding warriors.

Two preseason games don’t tell an awful lot about how the offense is going to perform against the most vicious opponents during the regular season, but the early indication is that the offensive brain trust of Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak is up to the task.

They are going to put together a game plan that gives the Vikings an excellent chance to win. The ability to spread the ball around may be the team’s greatest strategic advantage, because the number of highly skilled players will make it difficult for the defense to understand what is going on.

Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Chad Beebe give the Vikings three wideouts who can get open and make plays consistently. Thielen rates a slight edge over Diggs because of his spectacular hands and route-running, but Beebe looks like a No. 3 receiver who can play a winning role in key situations.

Defenses will have to look at tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr., and the team’s best offensive weapon may turn out to be running back Dalvin Cook.

Cook’s ability to turn small openings into big plays as a runner or receiver could be the key to turning Cousins into the elite quarterback the Vikings need him to become on an every-week basis.

Cousins completed 6-of-8 passes for 68 yards while playing the first two drive of 25-19 preseason victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and backup quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Kyle Sloter were equally impressive.

The big question that will need to be answered this year is the play of the offensive line, which was the team’s biggest issue a year ago.

The starting offensive line of left tackle Riley Reiff, left guard Pat Elflein, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Josh Kline and right tackle Brian O’Neill has a chance to be much better than last year’s group, but the true picture may not be painted until that Bears game in Week 4.

Mack, Smith and Hicks will press and probe for the weak spots, and if the Vikings can hold up in that game, they should be able to handle nearly all tests they will get this season.

Two preseason victories don’t mean a lot, but the offense is clearly tending in the right direction.

Look: Stefon Diggs rocks awesome ‘Toy Story’ cleats for preseason game

Stefon Diggs is obviously a man of high culture.

The Minnesota Vikings star showed up to Sunday’s preseason game against Seattle rocking an incredible pair of “Toy Story 4”-themed cleats. The multi-colored kicks featured beloved new character Forky. Take a look:

Diggs, who posted 1,021 yards receiving and nine touchdowns last season (both career-highs), only played sparingly on Sunday (as is tradition for the preseason). But the cleats still made for an impressive cameo nevertheless.

The 25-year-old wideout has been known to make statements with his cleats, but given that he was born two years before the first “Toy Story” film came out in 1995, this may be his nicest touch ye

Stefon Diggs reeled in his lone target for six yards in the Vikings’ preseason win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

As expected, Diggs didn’t see much action Sunday. One of the stars of an electric receiving attack, Diggs will be a quality WR2 this season.ardinals.

Diggs caught his only target for six yards in Sunday’s preseason win over Seattle.

Adam Thielen was the Vikings’ starting wideout that shined Sunday (three catches for 45 yards), but as we have seen over the past two seasons, there will be enough for both stars to eat over the course of the season. Look for Diggs to get more looks from his quarterback in Saturday’s “dress rehearsal” preseason matchup with the Cardinals.

On the final day of training camp, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (who is currently on the injured list with a shoulder injury) stopped by Vikings practice.

He gave Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs a jersey of his, and Diggs put it on. And then went deep with it on.

It looks like Sean Mannion (who we think is at quarterback in this clip) greatly underthrows Diggs, which isn’t a great sign, but whatever.

At first, I thought this was a clip of Buxton going deep, and well, given his injury history, Twins fans wouldn’t be very happy.

Minnesota sports love.

Draft Stefon Diggs as the #17 WR… Ahead of Cooper Kupp and After Julian Edelman

DRAFT ADVICE AND POSITION RANK
Draft Stefon Diggs as a weekly fantasy starter in 2019. His 161 projected fantasy points puts him at #17 behind Julian Edelman and ahead of Cooper Kupp. He has averaged 10.95 fantasy points in his past 15 games, which is slightly more than our projected per game average. His projected per game average is 10.1 fantasy points. He is more valuable in PPR leagues where he is the #13 ranked wide receiver. He is overrated if you compare his ownership based rank with his projection rank. At 99%, he is the #12 most highly owned wide receiver. Stefon Diggs is expected to come up short of last season’s #12 fantasy position rank.

These projections power SportsLine’s Computer Picks and Fantasy Data. But for contest winning DFS optimal lineups by top experts like Mike McClure visit SportsLine’s new Daily Fantasy Hub.

WEEK 1 AND 2 FANTASY OUTLOOK
Stefon Diggs is projected for 10.5 fantasy points which is good enough to be the #15 ranked wide receiver and a must start for most owners. This is projected to be a slightly better than average week with more fantasy points than he is projected to average the rest of the season. He is ranked above Cooper Kupp but behind T.Y. Hilton. Week 2 will be slightly worse based on projected rank (#18). He is projected for 10.1 fantasy points.

FANTASY PROJECTIONS AND ACTUAL STATS
The tables below show projected stats (totals and averages) for the rest of the season and upcoming weeks. Below the projection are actual stats from last season.

Draft Stefon Diggs Over Adam Thielen in Fantasy Football

The NFL season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to get ready for the upcoming fantasy football draft. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are two of the best wide receivers in the league and combine to form the NFL’s best pass-catching duo. Every year, fantasy football owners are torn on which player to take in their drafts. This year, make Stefon Diggs your pick over Adam Thielen.

Fantasy Football: Draft Stefon Diggs Over Adam Thielen
Let’s start this article with a disclaimer: there isn’t a bad choice here. Thielen and Diggs are both fantastic fantasy options and should finish as low-end WR1’s or high-end WR2’s. Last year, Thielen finished as the WR7 in half-point formats while Diggs ended the year at WR10. Minnesota wants to run the ball more in 2019, so it’s safe to expect some regression from both players.

That being said, Diggs is still a preferable option to Thielen. For one, he’s the more consistent player. Winning your fantasy draft is all about avoiding risk in the early rounds, and there aren’t many options safer than Diggs. Diggs received six or more targets in 14 games, including nine games with double-digit targets. He always gave a solid performance, as the former fifth-round pick recorded at least 49 yards or a touchdown in 12 of his 15 games played.

Thielen, on the other hand, was the antithesis of consistency. The former undrafted free agent was simply unstoppable over the first eight weeks of the season, recording 74 receptions for 925 yards and six touchdowns. He was the WR1 by a wide margin and averaged a staggering 20.6 points-per-game in half-point scoring.

Despite this hot start, Thielen cooled off considerably as the season progressed. Over his final eight games, Thielen recorded just 39 receptions for 448 yards and three touchdowns. This underwhelming stat line made him the WR23, and his 10.7 points-per-game was the 27th-best among receivers. He wasn’t unplayable by any means, but he wasn’t

what you wanted down the stretch.

Chances are, Thielen’s splits won’t be quite as dramatic in 2019. However, Diggs still projects as a more consistent and reliable player. Stefon Diggs will give you a chance to win every single week, while Thielen could go away for weeks on end.

New Offense
The Minnesota Vikings were one of the most pass-happy teams in football last season under John DeFilippo. Defilippo and Mike Zimmer publicly butted heads over Minnesota’s passing rate before Zimmer fired the first-year offensive coordinator towards the end of the season. With Defilippo gone, Kevin Stefanski took over playcalling duties for the final three games of 2018. Zimmer liked what he saw and gave Stefanski the job heading into 2019.

This is obviously a small sample, but Diggs saw more work in Stefanski’s offense. Over the final three games of the season, Diggs recorded 14 receptions on 23 targets for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Thielen, meanwhile, recorded 10 receptions on just 12 targets for 137 yards and no scores. While the production was similar, Diggs’ high target rate shows that Stefanski wanted Diggs to be the primary option in the passing game.

The red zone splits tell a similar story. Throughout the course of the season, Thielen actually saw more red zone targets (20) than Diggs (17). However, over the final three games, Diggs saw five targets while Thielen saw just one. You don’t want to overreact to small samples, but it appears as if Stefanski’s new offense fits Diggs better than Thielen.

Stefon Diggs vs Adam Thielen Average Draft Position
As of this posting, Fantasy Football Calculator has Adam Thielen going off the board with the 33rd overall pick in half-point PPR scoring, while Diggs is down at 37. This is essentially the same draft slot, as every league has a little bit of variation in their drafts. Chances are, both players are going off the board somewhere in the third round.

Both players should have solid seasons, but Diggs should your preferred choice.

Diggs offers a level of consistency that Thielen cannot match. Diggs was a featured part of the offense each and every week last year, while Thielen ran hot and cold. Winning your league is all about minimizing risk at the top of the board, and Diggs is the safer play. Additionally, Diggs was clearly the preferred target during Minnesota’s final three games with Stefanski calling the shots. This is a small sample, but it’s still something to consider when you’re on the clock. Both players will be week-in, week-out starters, but Diggs offers a safer floor, more reliability, and a similar ceiling.

Draft Stefon Diggs Over Adam Thielen in Fantasy Football

The NFL season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to get ready for the upcoming fantasy football draft. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are two of the best wide receivers in the league and combine to form the NFL’s best pass-catching duo. Every year, fantasy football owners are torn on which player to take in their drafts. This year, make Stefon Diggs your pick over Adam Thielen.

Fantasy Football: Draft Stefon Diggs Over Adam Thielen
Let’s start this article with a disclaimer: there isn’t a bad choice here. Thielen and Diggs are both fantastic fantasy options and should finish as low-end WR1’s or high-end WR2’s. Last year, Thielen finished as the WR7 in half-point formats while Diggs ended the year at WR10. Minnesota wants to run the ball more in 2019, so it’s safe to expect some regression from both players.

That being said, Diggs is still a preferable option to Thielen. For one, he’s the more consistent player. Winning your fantasy draft is all about avoiding risk in the early rounds, and there aren’t many options safer than Diggs. Diggs received six or more targets in 14 games, including nine games with double-digit targets. He always gave a solid performance, as the former fifth-round pick recorded at least 49 yards or a touchdown in 12 of his 15 games played.

Thielen, on the other hand, was the antithesis of consistency. The former undrafted free agent was simply unstoppable over the first eight weeks of the season, recording 74 receptions for 925 yards and six touchdowns. He was the WR1 by a wide margin and averaged a staggering 20.6 points-per-game in half-point scoring.

Despite this hot start, Thielen cooled off considerably as the season progressed. Over his final eight games, Thielen recorded just 39 receptions for 448 yards and three touchdowns. This underwhelming stat line made him the WR23, and his 10.7 points-per-game was the 27th-best among receivers. He wasn’t unplayable by any means, but he wasn’t what you wanted down the stretch.

Chances are, Thielen’s splits won’t be quite as dramatic in 2019. However, Diggs still projects as a more consistent and reliable player. Stefon Diggs will give you a chance to win every single week, while Thielen could go away for weeks on end.

New Offense
The Minnesota Vikings were one of the most pass-happy teams in football last season under John DeFilippo. Defilippo and Mike Zimmer publicly butted heads over Minnesota’s passing rate before Zimmer fired the first-year offensive coordinator towards the end of the season. With Defilippo gone, Kevin Stefanski took over playcalling duties for the final three games of 2018. Zimmer liked what he saw and gave Stefanski the job heading into 2019.

This is obviously a small sample, but Diggs saw more work in Stefanski’s offense. Over the final three games of the season, Diggs recorded 14 receptions on 23 targets for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Thielen, meanwhile, recorded 10 receptions on just 12 targets for 137 yards and no scores. While the production was similar, Diggs’ high target rate shows that Stefanski wanted Diggs to be the primary option in the passing game.

The red zone splits tell a similar story. Throughout the course of the season, Thielen actually saw more red zone targets (20) than Diggs (17). However, over the final three games, Diggs saw five targets while Thielen saw just one. You don’t want to overreact to small samples, but it appears as if Stefanski’s new offense fits Diggs better than Thielen.

Stefon Diggs vs Adam Thielen Average Draft Position
As of this posting, Fantasy Football Calculator has Adam Thielen going off the board with the 33rd overall pick in half-point PPR scoring, while Diggs is down at 37. This is essentially the same draft slot, as every league has a little bit of variation in their drafts. Chances are, both players are going off the board somewhere in the third round.

Both players should have solid seasons, but Diggs should your preferred choice.

Diggs offers a level of consistency that Thielen cannot match. Diggs was a featured part of the offense each and every week last year, while Thielen ran hot and cold. Winning your league is all about minimizing risk at the top of the board, and Diggs is the safer play. Additionally, Diggs was clearly the preferred target during Minnesota’s final three games with Stefanski calling the shots. This is a small sample, but it’s still something to consider when you’re on the clock. Both players will be week-in, week-out starters, but Diggs offers a safer floor, more reliability, and a similar ceiling.

Stefon Diggs grew up admiring a former Vikings receiver

The current Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver recently revealed that Percy Harvin was his favorite player when he was playing high school football.
Looking back, it’s pretty crazy that Stefon Diggs was unable to get on the field for the Minnesota Vikings until the team’s fourth game of his rookie season in 2015. But even without appearing in the Vikings’ first three matchups that year, he still ended up leading the team in catches and receiving yards.

Now heading into his fifth season in Minnesota, Diggs has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He and fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen make up arguably the top pass-catching duo the Vikings have had since Cris Carter and Randy Moss wore the purple and gold together.

Prior to Diggs being drafted by the Vikings, he was one of the top high school football players in the entire country. Before he eventually chose to play for Maryland, he was ranked as the second-best wide receiver in the entire 2012 recruiting class.

While he was growing up, Diggs actually modeled his game after a pass-catcher who used to suit up for Minnesota.

During an interview with NFL Network on Wednesday, he revealed that former Vikings receiver Percy Harvin was a player that he really admired when he was playing high school football.

“My favorite player was Percy Harvin. Coming out of high school, I wanted to go to Florida and do that whole thing and then it came full circle when I (landed) with the Vikings. (Percy) was a dog. He was fast, he could catch, and he made a lot of plays.”

It’s pretty cool to find out that Diggs grew up liking a player who used to be a member of the Vikings. It’s sort of like he was destined to be in Minnesota.

Maybe not, but since he brought it up, the way Diggs plays out on the field is very reminiscent of what Harvin used to do in a Vikings uniform.

Even though he wasn’t the biggest guy out on the field, Harvin never seemed to shy away from contact. He was also very quick and his juking ability made a bunch of defenders look downright silly.

Like Harvin, Diggs has the shiftiness to make people miss and he’s also not afraid to put his head down to get a few extra yards even though he’s smaller than most of the guys trying to tackle him.

Unfortunately, Harvin’s time with the Vikings only lasted for four seasons. But two years after he was gone, Minnesota drafted Diggs and it’s pretty safe to say the team is very happy with what he’s been able to do during his tenure.

WATCH: Vikings WR Stefon Diggs torches CB Xavier Rhodes

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is considered one of the shiftiest receivers in the NFL.

That was on display on Thursday when he slithered by cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and then turned on the jets to beat the former All Pro deep.

Diggs had career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns last season.

Rhodes, on the other hand, had a downright miserable season. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, a big fan of Rhodes, didn’t hold back any punches.

Of course, this is just one play in training camp. It doesn’t mean a whole lot.

But highlights are always fun, especially before we have preseason games to watch.

The current Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver recently revealed that Percy Harvin was his favorite player when he was playing high school football.
Looking back, it’s pretty crazy that Stefon Diggs was unable to get on the field for the Minnesota Vikings until the team’s fourth game of his rookie season in 2015. But even without appearing in the Vikings’ first three matchups that year, he still ended up leading the team in catches and receiving yards.

Now heading into his fifth season in Minnesota, Diggs has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He and fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen make up arguably the top pass-catching duo the Vikings have had since Cris Carter and Randy Moss wore the purple and gold together.

Prior to Diggs being drafted by the Vikings, he was one of the top high school football players in the entire country. Before he eventually chose to play for Maryland, he was ranked as the second-best wide receiver in the entire 2012 recruiting class.

While he was growing up, Diggs actually modeled his game after a pass-catcher who used to suit up for Minnesota.

During an interview with NFL Network on Wednesday, he revealed that former Vikings receiver Percy Harvin was a player that he really admired when he was playing high school football.

“My favorite player was Percy Harvin. Coming out of high school, I wanted to go to Florida and do that whole thing and then it came full circle when I (landed) with the Vikings. (Percy) was a dog. He was fast, he could catch, and he made a lot of plays.”

It’s pretty cool to find out that Diggs grew up liking a player who used to be a member of the Vikings. It’s sort of like he was destined to be in Minnesota.

Maybe not, but since he brought it up, the way Diggs plays out on the field is very reminiscent of what Harvin used to do in a Vikings uniform.

Even though he wasn’t the biggest guy out on the field, Harvin never seemed to shy away from contact. He was also very quick and his juking ability made a bunch of defenders look downright silly.

Like Harvin, Diggs has the shiftiness to make people miss and he’s also not afraid to put his head down to get a few extra yards even though he’s smaller than most of the guys trying to tackle him.

Vikings’ big question: Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and then who?

EAGAN, Minn. — Nine players not named Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen are competing for the remaining three or four receiver spots on the Minnesota Vikings’ roster.

There’s a handful of familiar faces, from Chad Beebe to Laquon Treadwell, and several new candidates in the mix between ex-Broncos wideout Jordan Taylor and seventh-round picks Bisi Johnson and Dillon Mitchell.

The sheer number of pass-catchers with different skill sets should benefit Minnesota in determining the group’s makeup behind its top two receivers. But the early reviews haven ’t been all that positive.

“If they don’t know what to do, if they don’t know where to line up, if they’re running the wrong route or moving their feet when the ball is snapped, we’ll keep looking for somebody else,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “They have not been precise enough in these first couple days, these young receivers. They need to get their rear-end in gear.”

The No. 3 receiver is one of the top position battles in training camp, and it’s a role that has changed year to year in the Vikings’ offense. Some seasons, that player is tasked with being dependable target in third-down territory, much like the role Jarius Wright filled for most of his time in Minnesota. In 2018, Aldrick Robinson provided Kirk Cousins with a deep threat using his 4.43 speed.

With such a top-heavy position group, a clearly defined role for the No. 3 receiver on down has been tricky to carve out. With young players, including undrafted free agents Alexander Hollins and Davion Davis, early growing pains are noticeable. The number of drops, wrong routes and mental errors have frustrated Zimmer and the offensive staff.

During the first week of camp, receivers coach Drew Petzing worked separately with the four rookies on basic concepts of how to execute the new routes that they’re being asked to run. It’s the first step they need to master before they can think about conquering the details of the position, like how deep their route is or how to attack the coverage.

With just over a week until the Vikings head to New Orleans for their first preseason game, the time used in practice is critical in uncovering the strengths of these young players and find where they can contribute in the passing game.

“Many of them were brought in undrafted because they have a specific trait that they can bring to the table,” Cousins said. “If a guy can roll, if he’s a 4.3 [40-yard dash] guy, and maybe there’s some limitations in some other parts of playing the receiver position, but he’s a 4.3 guy. Well, let’s get him in our deep routes and let’s get him a chance to get behind some safeties and launch. So learning those players’ strengths and then working them in the progression when you know, ‘Hey, this play gives them a chance to put a show on.’

“That’s certainly a point of emphasis, especially with these younger players who many of which have a specific trait as to why they’re here, and we’re trying to see if that trait can really help us.”

The top priority is finding players who can divert defense’s attention away from Diggs and Thielen. More vertical threats in the passing game could yield those explosive plays that the offense lacked a year ago.

“I think it gives him a lot of confidence,” Petzing said of Cousins. “It’s hard for him when he gets back and doesn’t feel like he has guys out there that are going to be in the place he expects them to be, going to win when he needs them to win, going to make the big play when he throws it, and he’s not quite sure where they broke or can’t see it. All those things are part of the NFL game, so having five guys, five eligibles that can go out there and at any moment win a one-on-one matchup, get down field and find the open zone, make the big contested catch, it gives him the confidence to drop back and focus on his job. He’s not worried about ‘Is that guy going to come out of his break right? Can I throw him the ball?’”

Aside from the rookies, Minnesota is still learning what it has with its veteran candidates. Beebe, who earned his way onto the 53-man roster (and was activated over Treadwell in Week 16) last season via the practice squad by way of a rookie tryout, has emerged as a front-runner for the No. 3 receiver job. It’s a matter of how he’s performed with his first-team reps — and the difficulty he gives the defenses out of the slot — that has impressed coaches most.

Stefon Diggs is ‘excited’ to play in the Vikings’ new offense

The talented Minnesota Vikings wide receiver talked on Friday about the team’s new offense under Kevin Stefanski and how he’s looking forward to being a part of it.
In 2018, Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs had himself a career-best performance. Diggs set new single-season career-highs for catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns last year.

Heading into 2019, the Vikings receiver is looking to perform even better than he did last season. Considering he’s still only 25-years-old, there’s a very good chance that Diggs hasn’t even reached his full potential yet in the NFL.

Helping Diggs take that next step in his career this season will be new Minnesota offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. Since joining the Vikings in 2015, the young receiver has worked with a total of four different offensive coordinators including Stefanski.

It sounds like Diggs is pretty fired up though about Minnesota’s current offensive play-caller and what he can do for the team in 2019. On Friday, the Vikings receiver shared his feelings about Stefanski taking control of the offense this season.

“I have 100 percent confidence in (Kevin) Stefanski. Being with him for the short time last year, being with him in the spring, and going into training camp, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

I’m just excited. I’m not so much anxious, more excited than anything being around him. He’s been around the building for a while, so (our) relationship has grown and I’m looking forward to the year.”

Diggs’ feelings about Minnesota’s newest offensive scheme seems to be pretty common among the majority of the team’s players this year.

Everyone is aware that the unit was productive last season, but they also know that they could have performed even better given the amount of talent they have on the offensive side of the ball.

Draft Stefon Diggs as the #16 WR… Ahead of Brandin Cooks and After Amari Cooper

 

DRAFT ADVICE AND POSITION RANK
Draft Stefon Diggs as a weekly fantasy starter in 2019. His 162 projected fantasy points puts him at #16 behind Amari Cooper and ahead of Brandin Cooks. He has averaged 10.95 fantasy points in his past 15 games, which is slightly more than our projected per game average. His projected per game average is 10.2 fantasy points. He is more valuable in PPR leagues where he is the #12 ranked wide receiver. He is overrated if you compare his ownership based rank with his projection rank. At 99%, he is the #10 most highly owned wide receiver. Stefon Diggs is expected to come up short of last season’s #12 fantasy position rank.

These projections power SportsLine’s Computer Picks and Fantasy Data. But for contest winning DFS optimal lineups by top experts like Mike McClure visit SportsLine’s new Daily Fantasy Hub.

WEEK 1 AND 2 FANTASY OUTLOOK
Stefon Diggs is projected for 10.5 fantasy points which is good enough to be the #16 ranked wide receiver and a must start for most owners. This is projected to be a slightly better than average week with more fantasy points than he is projected to average the rest of the season. He is ranked above Cooper Kupp but behind T.Y. Hilton. His projected rank in Week 2 is the same as it is in Week 1. He is projected for 10.3 fantasy points.

FANTASY PROJECTIONS AND ACTUAL STATS
The tables below show projected stats (totals and averages) for the rest of the season and upcoming weeks. Below the projection are actual stats from last season.