Authentic Minnesota Vikings Stefon Diggs Jersey Womens/Youth/Kids Sale

EAGAN, Minn. — The guys who are among the league leaders are also the pace-setters on the practice field and in the receivers meeting room.

Drew Petzing has seen this play out as Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have risen the NFL ranks to be one of the top tandems on any team.

Petzing was promoted to receivers coach this offseason and is excited about the attentive approach that Thielen and Diggs have shown to learn new things as they build off their dual 100-reception, 1,000-yard efforts in 2018.

“I was in the room when we drafted Diggs, I was in the room early in Thielen’s career and developed really good relationships with those guys,” Petzing recently told Vikings.com’s Mike Wobschall. “Similar to the way that it’s been great in the room with those coaches, those two guys love ball and they want to win, so as a position coach, it makes your job really easy.

“You know you are getting guys who have a ton of talent, but they’re also willing to listen,” Petzing added. “They’re willing to tweak things, to change things. Anything that I say, whether it’s the way to run a route or something related to scheme, they’re all ears, and that makes my job that much easier, but also a lot of fun.”

With Verizon Vikings Training Camp on the horizon (rookies and select other players arrive on July 22 and veterans report on July 25), Vikings.com is looking at Minnesota’s group of assistant coaches and their position groups.

With Kirk Cousins under center last season, the Minnesota Vikings offense had a rough go at times, but it didn’t stop Stefon Diggs from putting up a 102-1021-9 line. A lot of  the struggles was due to the offensive line. It should take a step forward, and this offense is looking very fantasy friendly for 2019. It wasn’t a top ten finish for Diggs,  but he remains one of the better options when healthy in our fake game. While Diggs has battled some injuries, he usually trucks through and has started 14 games in each of the  last two seasons. 17 touchdowns over the last two years, and heading into his age 26 season, Diggs is a comfortable tier two wideout to consider in drafts.

In Stefon Diggs’ age 25 season he produced a 102-1021-9 line. It was a career high in touchdowns, receptions, targets, and yardage. Despite being alongside Adam Thielen, this  offense produced two top 20 wideouts. Diggs was WR15 in terms of scoring this season, and we have him just a shade lower this season. Diggs had a fairly healthy season even with  a couple of injury report appearances, which isn’t anything new for him. If this is what an upside season looks like for Diggs, he is going to be a solid pick moving forward.
Minnesota’s offense produced on a fantasy level, but the offensive line killed the efficiency for most of the year. This should give some confidence that the fantasy numbers  won’t take a hit if the offensive line play continues.

Stefon Diggs projects as our WR17 and there is some upside where he continues to get his red zone looks and produce touchdowns. He doesn’t have that weekly upside production,  and a lot of his weeks are very touchdown dependent. That is my concern, but as an WR2, you can’t do much wrong here. When all is said and done, his end of the year line will  be stable as long as he is healthy.

Despite having a career high in yards, his yards per target were at a career low and his yards per reception were also at career lows. Diggs only had four games over 100 yards,  and there were a lot of 5-55-1 type lines that added up to his overall score. This is not an appealing weekly guy.

Sitting at the edge of the late third round, Stefon Diggs is likely going to be your WR2. I would not be sitting with Diggs as my WR1 in 2019. There is also a likely chance his  ADP slips more into the mid fourth round or even back half. While he is entering prime years for a wide receiver, and a second year with Cousins, I am not putting all my eggs in  one basket here. I find Diggs to be a better best ball target than actual fantasy threat. Diggs will post some monster games this year, and also have some dreadful floor games  as well. I will be looking for a more stable weekly option around the area.

On opening night in U.S. Bank Stadium back in September, Stefon Diggs made big, explosive plays to help the Vikings beat the Saints. He didn’t have the most impressive numbers – those belonged to Adam Thielen, on his way to the best season of his career. But Diggs broke the game open, because that has always been his greatest skill.

Everything he did that Monday night, and every game since then, and every one before that, going back to Pop Warner ball, was eclipsed Sunday night, 18 weeks after the season opener, in the same building, against the same Saints.

Explosive plays? The one he pulled off to beat the Saints 29-24 and carry the Vikings to within a game of their first Super Bowl since 1977 instantly joined the most unforgettable ones in NFL history – and as a byproduct sent onlookers scrambling to an alternative to the most fitting, but already taken, nickname … the Immaculate Reception.

It didn’t look like many other miraculous plays anyone has ever pulled off; however, it’s what Diggs has done his entire football life – made the most athletic play possible and turned it into points.

The fling downfield from Case Keenum with 10 seconds left and Minnesota trailing 24-23, the leap by Diggs to pull it down, the landing he stuck, the balance to stay inbounds, and the awareness to tear off downfield to finish the 61-yard game-winning touchdown … they were all in line with what he had done for three NFL seasons, including that opener.

Against the Saints then, he caught seven balls for 93 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half. By season’s end – it was interrupted again by injury, this time two games with a groin issue – he had adjusted with everyone else to Keenum replacing Sam Bradford, catching more touchdown passes (eight) than he had in his previous two seasons combined and reaching a career high with 13.3 yards per catch on his 64 receptions.

Either the Vikings got smart or lucky during the 2015 draft, because Diggs, who had played wideout and returned kicks at Maryland and left after his junior year, slipped to them in the fifth round. He became a threat on offense and on returns in his first two years, but this season saw him play with a third quarterback in three years: Teddy Bridgewater, Bradford and Keenum.

Thielen became the breakout star this year, but Diggs never stopped being a factor, and Keenum, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and head coach Mike Zimmer made sure he was a major part of the scheme. It never paid off quite as well as on that last play Sunday.

“A lot of people doubted the majority of our guys, especially on offense,” Diggs told NFL Network. “We just got a lot of fighters, a lot of guys who don’t give up, and Case is one of them. It just felt so good on the last drive that he had faith in me – he had faith that I could make a play, and he believed in me.”

On Sunday, Thielen made a breathtaking catch on the Vikings’ previous possession, while being both held and interfered with, to set up a go-ahead field goal. Diggs took over on that final drive – he caught one for 19 yards to get the Vikings to their 39.

The game-winner – the longest play of his NFL career – came three plays later, with the game seeming to ride on whether he could catch the ball and get out of bounds in time for another field-goal try. Breaking it all the way wasn’t even a thought: “We’ve never practiced this particular situation before,” Diggs admitted.

He simply took a pretty good situation and made it great.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs really likes Starbucks. As part of a deal with the Player’s Association, the NFL relaxes its uniform rules during Week 14 of the regular season and allows players to customize their cleats for their annual My Cause My Cleats event.

During their Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, Diggs wore white and green Adidas cleats with the coffee brand’s logo on the side.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 and has since expanded to 28,218 locations worldwide as of 2018, according to the company itself.

This isn’t the first time that Diggs has worn Starbucks-themed cleats. During the 2017 preseason, Diggs wore another pair of similar cleats when the Vikings visited Seattle last. These cleats were designed to have a brown band mimicking the brand’s signature sleeves used to prevent burns. Before the game Diggs tweeted, “My love for Starbucks is a 4ever thing…”

During this past September, Diggs was spotted wearing a custom chain designed to look Starbucks’ logo. TMZ reported that the piece of jewelry was estimated to cost about $15,000.

Diggs’ teammate and fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen wore his own coffee cleats. But he chose to recognize Caribou Coffee, a brand founded in Minnesota in 1992.

The Vikings have struggled this year. Last season they lost in the NFC championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. This year they’re 6-6-1 after their loss to the Seahawks.

Diggs, however, is on pace for a career year in this his fourth season. Through 13 games, the former fifth-round pick has 88 receptions for 915 yards and six touchdowns.

New England found a way to slow down both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, the Vikings wide receivers had combined for 172 catches, putting them on pace to break the NFL record for receptions in a season by two teammates.

But Thielen, the NFL’s leading receiver, had just five catches for 28 yards, and Diggs had just five for 49 yards as the Vikings lost 24-10.

“I thought we just had a great game plan on what we kind of wanted to do at times,’’ said Patriots safety Devin McCourty.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins didn’t disagree.

“We had a feeling they were going to be able to do that or try to do that and they did for the most part,’’ Cousins said. ‘We felt that going into the game, as much as they may try to take (receivers) away, that there would still be opportunities there for (tight end Kyle Rudolph), and our backs and (wide receivers Aldrick Robinson and Laquon Treadwell), and there certainly were at times. But other times, we just didn’t as an offense find a way to get it done.’’

Cousins completed 32 of 41 passes for 201 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. After entering the game with an average yards per pass attempt of 7.4, he averaged just 4.9. After his average yards per completion attempt was 10.3 coming in, it was just 6.3 Sunday.

Running back Dalvin Cook had a game-high eight catches but gained just 22 yards. Cousins had just two completions of more than 15 yards.

Thielen entered the game with 93 receptions for 1,138 yards and was seeking to become the first Vikings player since Randy Moss in 2003 to reach 100 receptions. He remains two short.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs has said he will play Sunday at New England, but cornerback Xavier Rhodes has made no similar declaration.

Diggs and Rhodes were both injured last Sunday against Green Bay, and both were listed Friday as questionable for the game against the Patriots after practicing on a limited basis.

Diggs, who suffered a left knee injury, told the Pioneer Press on Thursday, “I’m playing.’’ Rhodes, who suffered a right hamstring injury, wouldn’t speculate Friday on his availability.

“I’ll see on Sunday,’’ Rhodes said. “I was out there for a couple plays (in practice Friday). I didn’t want to overdo it. I know it will give me some confidence for Sunday.’’

Rhodes was relieved his injury wasn’t serious. He was hurt with 2:38 left against the Packers when he tackled Davante Adams after a 36-yard reception. He limped off in obvious pain, and had an MRI on Monday.

“Before I went and got the MRI, I was just thinking, hoping for something positive,’’ Rhodes said. “But during the injury, it didn’t look nice at all and it didn’t feel nice. Pain. I heard some stuff in my hamstring that I didn’t like, but it came out good.’’

Listed as out for Sunday were tight end David Morgan (knee), who will miss his third game in a row, and wide receiver Chad Beebe (hamstring), who will sit out his second straight.

Also listed as questionable were cornerback Mackensie Alexander (knee) and wide receiver Brandon Zylstra (foot). Alexander was a full participant in practice Friday while Zylstra was limited.

Rhodes has a reputation for often looking more injured than he is and then being able to play.

“Everybody knows that is just Xavier,’’ said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. “I have a few nicknames for him. … It’s not dirty, but I’m not going to say it.’’

Rhodes said one of the keys to his resiliency has been to “just stay mentally strong.’’ Obviously, the Vikings could use Rhodes, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

“The Patriots aren’t going to make this easy for us,” Rhodes said. “(Brady) doesn’t force anything. He reads the locations of the corners and the (defensive backs). He’s pretty accurate.’’

The only player on New England’s final injury report was tight end Dwayne Allen (knee), listed as out.

COMPTON’S BAD MEMORIES

Vikings guard Tom Compton hardly has fond memories of the last time he faced the Patriots.

While he was with Atlanta, the Falcons after the 2016 season blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead and lost 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI in Houston. Compton, then a reserve, played 10 snaps in the fourth quarter when right tackle Ryan Schraeder went down with an injury, and also played nine snaps on special teams.

“I think being on a different team, it’s definitely something I’ve put in the past,’’ Compton said of the defeat. “If I was still in Atlanta, I think it might be different, but that’s kind of buried.’’

Still, if the Vikings take a big lead Sunday, Compton could remind them what happened two years ago.

“They put points on the board,’’ Compton said.

BRIEFLY

–With seven catches Sunday, Adam Thielen would become the first Minnesota player with 100 in a season since Randy Moss had 111 in 103. Does that mean anything to him? “No.’’ Thielen said. “Just trying to help us win games.’’ Thielen can become the third Vikings player to have a 100-catch season. Moss did it twice and Cris Carter twice.

–Zimmer worked out New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore before the 2012 draft when he was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator. Gilmore was taken with the No. 10 pick by Buffalo, seven selections before the Bengals took Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. “Quick, has good acceleration,’’ Zimmer said of Gilmore, in his second New England season.

A.J. Green is dealing with a multi-week absence, and it doesn’t seem like that will change heading into Week 11; Stefon Diggs missed Minnesota’s last game, but his return could be imminent; and Randall Cobb suffered a setback with his hamstring last week that could make it difficult for him to play on a short week in Week 11. There are a lot of injuries across the NFL, but these key receiver injuries are having an impact on our Week 11 WR rankings and could create some difficult roster decisions if these issues linger into the fantasy football playoffs.

We’ll keep you updated on all the latest injuries and how they’ll impact fantasy football rankings and strategy moving forward. For more on banged-up RBs like James Conner and Chris Carson, go here, and for the latest in the Le’Veon Bell saga, check here. Follow us on Twitter (@SN_Fantasy) for more updates and advice.

A.J. Green injury update

Green suffered a toe injury before the Bengals’ bye week, and at the time, not much was thought of it. However, the injury turned out to be more severe, and Green was revealed to be out for at least two games following the bye. He ended up missing the Bengals’ blowout loss to the Saints, and before that game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on Green’s status.

According to Schefter, a December return for Green is looking “increasingly likely.” That means that he will be out for at least three games and probably won’t be back until the last week of the fantasy regular season or the beginning of the fantasy playoffs. This is bad news for the Bengals, as their offense looked lost without Green last week.

With Green expected out of the lineup, pass-catchers like Tyler Boyd, John Ross, and TE C.J. Uzomah will all get a boost in terms of fantasy value. That said, the Bengals could implode as a result of Green’s injury, and if they fall out of contention, that could have a negative impact on the fantasy value of all Bengals offense weapons. It could also cause Cincinnati to potentially shut down Green if their playoff chances evaporate. Of course, it’s worth noting that is a worst-case scenario, so it’s best not to panic at this point in time.

Right now, Green is out at least a few weeks, so have another option readily available to start. Hopefully, he will return before the start of the fantasy playoffs and be a WR1 again. We’ll keep an eye on him and see the type of progress he makes in the coming weeks.

Is Stefon Diggs playing in Week 11?

Prior to the Vikings’ bye week, Diggs sat out after suffering a rib injury against the Saints in Week 8. With two full weeks off, the hope is that he will have recovered enough to be active for the team’s Week 11 matchup with the Bears. Considering that Diggs was adamant about expecting to play in Week 9 before being ruled out, it seems that with two weeks off, he should be good to go.

We’ll be watching Diggs closely in practice, but provided that he can get on the field early and often, he should be able to play. If he has any sort of setback or if he just isn’t ready to play, TE Kyle Rudolph and WR Laquon Treadwell would likely see an uptick in targets for the Vikings, so they would carry extra value. That said, we’re still expecting Diggs to play, and that is reflected in our Week 11 WR rankings.

Randall Cobb injury update

Cobb suffered a setback last Thursday in practice as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury that has plagued him this year. Heading into Week 11, his status is uncertain — especially on a short week. Soft-tissue injuries tend to linger, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him sit out for the Packers and try to return to action in Week 12.

Even if Cobb does suit up, he really hasn’t done much since the first week of the season. In four games aside from the opener, Cobb has only 17 catches for 116 yards and no scores. He is losing playing time and targets to talented rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling, so if anything, Cobb is more of a speculative FLEX play at this point. Until he proves that he can stay healthy and make some plays, I would recommend sitting Cobb (though he is still worth stashing in most leagues just because he gets to work with Aaron Rodgers).

Nine months after the “Minnesota Miracle,” the New Orleans Saints are returning to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who caught the dramatic winning pass in a playoff game in January, figures they will come in Sunday night with a “chip on their shoulder.” Saints coach Sean Payton doesn’t see it that way.

“The revenge factor might be one of the most overrated (factors),” Payton said Monday. “That was a whole different team a year ago and a whole different game. … It was a hard-fought game with a tough finish to it. … It wasn’t like there was bad blood when the game was over with or anything like that. … Two teams fought hard and they (Vikings) made a play at the end that ended up costing us the game.”

The Vikings won 29-24 on Case Keenum’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Diggs on the final play of the game. New Orleans cornerback Marcus Williams whiffed on a tackle, allowing Diggs to run untouched down the right sideline.

“There is always going to be that taste in your mouth from that last game, because that was a wild one,” Saints guard Larry Warford said. “There was so much at stake on that game and the way it ended just left a bad taste in our mouth. We are all going to have that feeling, but at the same time we aren’t going to approach it any different than we do all our games.”

Diggs had said after the Vikings’ 37-17 victory Sunday over the New York Jets he expects the Saints to be fired up about last year’s game.

“We’re going to get their best shot,” he said. “They’re coming in with a chip on their shoulder, and we need to have that same chip. We’re just going to fight it out.”

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, though, figures it will be business as usual for the Saints (5-1), who lead the NFC South with the second-best record in the conference. The Vikings (4-2-1) lead the NFC North.

“I think the Saints will come in with a chip on their shoulder because that’s who they are,” Zimmer said. “They’re very aggressive on defense. They’re aggressive offensively. They’ve got a good football team. That (playoff game) was a long time ago.”

 

The Vikings led the NFL last year by allowing foes to convert just 25.2 percent of their third-down attempts. This season, they’ve been even better.

The Vikings have a third-down defensive percentage of 23.4. The Vikings held the Jets to 2 of 13 on third-down conversions (15.4 percent) and at one point in the game had an overall streak of stopping opponents on third down 20 straight times.

Zimmer, though, said third-down statistics are misleading about how a defense is playing.

“The worst thing we’ve been doing defensively is first and second down,” Zimmer said. “We haven’t been very good there. Recently we’ve been better. … We’ve been working real hard on first and second down in the last few weeks. … We change up some calls here or there every week and try to figure out what’s the best way to stop them, and guys have executed.”

The Vikings entered Monday 11th in the NFL in total defense and 14th in scoring defense. Last season, they were first in both categories.

Over the past two games, the Vikings ran into rookie quarterbacks Josh Rosen of Arizona and Sam Darnold of the Jets. Now, they get to see Drew Brees, the NFL career leader in passing yards.

“Different than it has been the last two weeks,” Zimmer said. “This guy’s amazing. I always thought when you talk about hall of fame quarterbacks, obviously he’s going to be one, but he’s very cerebral, accurate. He’s moving well in the pocket. I was watching tape (Monday) on him like, ‘How old is this guy?’ I thought he was getting old, but he moves well in the pocket.”

Brees will be 40 in January.

“He should retire,” Zimmer joked.

The Minnesota Vikings knew going into Philadelphia last Sunday that the Eagles’ defensive line presented an incredible challenge.

In order to negate Philly’s impressive pass rush, the Vikings opened the game with quick passes, completing four passes of 10 yards or fewer (not including a quick throw to Stefon Diggs that registered as a run play). Quarterback Kirk Cousins drove his team from the Vikings’ 25-yard line deep into Eagles territory and controlled the ball for more than six minutes.

It was hardly the only time the Vikings have moved the ball effectively using quick throws. In fact, Cousins has the shortest average depth of target in the NFL, according to NFL NextGen stats at just 6.4 air yards per throw.

Via NextGen, below is a look at every throw from Cousins against the Eagles. Notice that only six throws clear 10 yards through the air, but Cousins was able to hit on four of those throws.

The question is whether the Vikings should continue to focus their passing game on throws under 10 yards rather than trying to work the ball downfield more often.

The short answer is: Overall the Vikings’ offense has been effective.

They rank seventh in quarterback rating and seventh in adjusted net yards per attempt (yards per throw factoring interceptions and sacks). Despite giving up consistent pressure, Minnesota has only given up sacks on 5.8 percent of drop backs by Cousins, which is mid-pack at 16th in the NFL. And the Vikings are 10th in the league in the number of passes that have resulted in first downs.

Minnesota’s lack of running game has hurt their production, no doubt, but without Dalvin Cook at 100 percent, they have essentially replaced the running game with quick passes and creativity from offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

Take the play below for example. Diggs goes in motion and comes underneath the formation for a swing pass that picks up seven yards. Philadelphia’s cornerback passes off Diggs to the safety when he motions, leaving a long way to go and through traffic in order for Malcolm Jenkins to track the receiver. Solid blocks by Adam Thielen and Aldrick Robison create space for Diggs to work.

On a subsequent play, DeFilippo’s design comes very close to breaking open a touchdown for Diggs, who is the lone receiver outside the numbers with a bunch formation to the quarterback’s right. Everything indicates outside zone run from the center over, but on the left side, tackle Riley Reiff and guard Tom Compton are two-on-two with the Eagles’ linebacker and cornerback.

The play didn’t work in this case, but had Reiff and Compton been able to hold their blocks, Diggs would have walked into the end zone. If the same concept is used in the middle of the field, it has the potential to turn into a big play.

“The screen game is huge,” head coach Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday. “You see more and more of it and all around the League now, especially off of play action, because linebackers start to hopefully get depth and get out of there and then the line has a chance to sift over toward to where they’re in front of the running back. Screens and play actions are typically things that we want to be really good at.”

That’s part of the short-pass strategy. Diggs turned one quick throw into 24 yards against the Eagles and has produced an explosive play off a quick pass at least once in nearly every game this season. Below is a play that puts the linebacker in a bind. Philly’s LB reads the backfield, which appears to be running power up the middle. So he charges forward aggressively, leaving a gap in the defense for Diggs. Again the Vikings’ star receiver is one juke or defender slipping away from a big play.

One of the issues with running these types of plays throughout a game is that opponents can begin to pick up on tendencies. As the game wore on, the Vikings had less success hitting Diggs for big yards-after-catch plays.

On the play below, Jenkins reads Cousins’ play fake and immediately sprints toward Diggs, making the tackle for only a 2-yard gain.

The big-picture down side to a short-pass focused offense is: At 10.4 yards per completion, the Vikings are 26th in the NFL. Sustaining drives has been problematic at times. With points only produced on 31.0 percent of drives, the Vikings are 27th in the NFL, with the best team (New Orleans) scoring on 57 percent of drives. They are 25th in points per drive and 21st in touchdowns per drive — sitting at 19th in red zone touchdown percentage hasn’t helped much.

Coincidentally the Vikings were the lowest ranked team in yards per completion to make the playoffs in 2017, ranking 22nd. The No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL sat first, though the Super Bowl representatives were seventh and 16th. The 2016 Super Bowl teams ranked first and fifth and in 2015 the Panthers were third and Broncos 13th despite Peyton Manning’s struggles.

With all factors in mind, a reasonable conclusion could be that the Vikings can’t consistently use as many short throws as they did in Philly, but they shouldn’t require that many to move the ball. Not everyone has three star edge rushers and a premier defensive tackle. Cook and the running game should be more effective going forward and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cousins get more time to throw against a team like Detroit or the New York Jets and create a more balanced attack.

“When I talked about being multiple one of the things we said was quick game,” Cousins said Wednesday. “We’re gonna use the quick game, and we’re gonna use dropback, we’re gonna use movements, we’re gonna use movements, we’re gonna use play-action, all that, but the quicks will be a major part of that, so I don’t know if that’s really ever changed. I think we’ve always seen that as a staple of being an offense that’s doing a variety of things.”