Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

Vikings: Run D – 9th Pass D – 11th

Seahawks: Run D – 15th Pass D – 16th

Passing:

The Vikings own one of the best pass-rushes in the league and rank 9th in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. Xavier Rhodes is still one of the better cover guys, but, in truth, the rest of the secondary is struggling a bit, especially Trae Waynes . With Russell Wilson ’s ability to extend plays with his legs, he should be able to give his receivers enough time to free up from their coverage and help stretch the field. Wilson has been on-fire this season and since Week 5, he’s posted a 22:2 TD:INT over an eight-game span. He’s not getting any rushing touchdowns of his own, but given the way the offense is functioning, he doesn’t even need to.

Kirk Cousins , on the other hand, has not had a good season at all and has Vikings fans wondering why they so desperately wanted him over Case Keenum , who nearly led them to the Promised Land last year. He’s only thrown for nine touchdowns with six interceptions over his last five games and just doesn’t look comfortable in this offense right now. You never want to count him out, though. Could he dig deep to turn things around this week? Sure. But the deck is stacked against him right now.

Rushing:

This run-first offense of the Seahawks is, once again, becoming their calling-card and they’ve found tremendous success, going 7-3 since re-adopting it. Chris Carson has been strong with 704 rushing yards and a 4.5 yards-per-carry mark this season, firmly establishing himself as the lead dog. Mike Davis and Rashaad Penny have been decent complements and we may even see Penny get a little more work tonight in the passing game as Carson does have that dislocated finger he’s been nursing all week. The Vikings have allowed an average of 130 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks and rank 31st in the league against running back pass plays.

The big question for the Vikings is whether Dalvin Cook can finally break out. He’s been a massive disappointment this season, first with the hamstring injury and then with his 53.5 rushing yards per game in the four games since his return. He’s been utilized a little more in the passing over the last two weeks, but Seattle has allowed just 111.3 rushing yards per game over their last three and rank 13th against running back pass plays.

Receiving:

There’s actually a lot to like about the Seattle receivers. Granted, Doug Baldwin remains banged-up and a game-time decision tonight, but Tyler Lockett has been a beast all year with touchdowns in all but three games this season and David Moore has been an outstanding surprise as the team’s No. 3 receiver. The Vikings are expected to stay in man-to-man coverage tonight which puts Xavier Rhodes on Lockett and Trae Waynes on Moore. Both match-ups grade out well for the receivers. Also, don’t sleep on tight end Nick Vannett as the Vikings rank 26th in coverage against the position, according to DVOA numbers.

The Seahawks pass defense, which ranks 17th in coverage according to Pro Football Focus grades, is going to have a tough time keeping pace with the Vikings if they choose to air it out all day. Stefon Diggs is back from his knee issues and no longer even on the injury report and Justin Coleman will be tasked with covering Adam Thielen . If looking for a dart throw, this could be a great spot to sneak Aldrick Robinson into your lineups as Tre Flowers is one of the worst cover corners this season. Seattle ranks right around the middle of the league (14th to be exact) against the tight end, so Kyle Rudolph probably stays in the shadows.

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

*Chargers: Run D – 18th Pass D – 7th

*Chiefs: Run D – 32nd Pass D – 13th

*rankings based on DVOA numbers heading into Week 14

Passing:

The Chargers pass-rush may rank just 17th in the league right now, but that ranking has been climbing with the return of Joey Bosa and in coverage, Pro Football Focus has them ranked third. Is that going to bother Patrick Mahomes ? You’d like to think it wouldn’t and he did have a somewhat decent game against the Ravens on Sunday, so fading him seems a little less likely. Of course, we’re going to have to watch the health of Tyreek Hill . His play-making abilities certainly help make Mahomes look better at times and it’s hard to think the rest of the receiving corps is going to be able to do the same if Hill is out.

Philip Rivers against the Chiefs should make your mouth water. The line on this game is going to be high and whether Melvin Gordon is back or not, Rivers is going to have a field day with his receivers against the super-soft coverage of the Chiefs. He failed to throw for more than one touchdown this past week for the first time all season, so you can bet he wants to get back on-track with that.

Rushing:

The Chiefs are rolling out a three-headed monster with Spencer Ware as the featured back. He’s done a solid job, though you should keep tabs on his practice schedule this week as he did leave Sunday’s game against the Ravens for a little while with a hamstring issue. The Chiefs will happily pivot to more work for Damien Williams , though we’ll have to wait until closer to Thursday to see if they’ll stay with Daryl Williams or switch to Charcandrick West . Consider Ware the play here, but if playing on DK, Williams as a PPR option could be interesting.

The backfield for the Chargers will be interesting to say the least. The match-up is uber-tasty as the Chiefs are allowing almost 150 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks and have coughed up 15 rushing touchdowns on the season. If Melvin Gordon is ready to return, he’s a must. After that, we may have to look at Justin Jackson who seriously disappointed people this past week. Austin Ekeler suffered a stinger on Sunday and due to the potential neck issues, could miss this game. Again, we’re just going to have to wait and see, but if setting up Mon-Thurs lineups, you may want to hold either an RB slot or a flex for whomever starts for the Chargers.

Receiving:

The heel injury for Tyreek Hill is going to freak out a lot of people. He spent most of the game limping around, though he did still manage to post 139 yards on the day. If he’s fine, he’s an obvious must for lineups. If he doesn’t, sorting through the rest is going to be a nightmare. Tight end Travis Kelce is still a front-runner for targets even though the Chargers rank first overall in guarding the position, but Chris Conley is probably the only reliable name otherwise. Sammy Watkins is perpetually hurt, we don’t really know what to expect from newly-acquired Kelvin Benjamin and then there’s just a hodge-podge of darts to throw. Still, given the power of Mahomes’ arm, even the dart throws have a chance.

Just like we’re salivating over Rivers, Keenan Allen , Tyrell Williams and Mike Williams should be garnering just as much attention and drool. Allen is obviously the premier talent to own, but given how soft the coverage has been in the Chiefs secondary, all three could have big days. Kansas City is allowing 257.7 passing yards per game, but more importantly, they’ve coughed up 25 passing touchdowns on the season.

NOTE:

Rashaad Penny is questionable for tonight's game. If he's in, use him. If not, pivot to Mike Davis . There's room in the budget.