On Wednesday, ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported that Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell spoke firmly about RB Ty Chandler being the team's primary back. "We're kind of building with the mindset that [Chandler] is going to be a guy we're trying to get the ball to a lot, both in the run and the pass," said O'Connell, adding that the potential availability of RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) will "be a huge bonus for the depth" at the position. It doesn't take much reading of the tea leaves to gather that Mattison has lost a grip on leading this backfield in touches whenever he returns from injury. Managers in season-long formats who picked up Chandler off of the waiver wire should be thrilled about his prospects of yielding a significant workload in Week 16 vs. the Lions, and seemingly beyond. See where Chandler lands in our latest RB rankings.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that RB Ty Chandler "is absolutely a guy that is going to see a featured, featured role in our offense." Chandler gave the Vikings their best rushing performance of the season in Saturday's loss to the Bengals, ripping off 132 yards and a score on 23 carries. We'll see whether RB Alexander Mattison can make it back from his ankle injury for this weekend's game vs. the Lions, but it sounds like we should expect Chandler to lead the backfield regardless. He, of course, will be a much stronger fantasy play if Mattison remains out.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is out for Saturday's game vs. the Bengals. That leaves Ty Chandler as Minnesota's lead back. This running game has been ineffective for most of the season. But Chandler leads Vikings RBs with 4.1 yards per carry and gets a Cincinnati team sitting 27th in run defense DVOA. See where Chandler sits in the Week 15 RB Rankings.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) did not practice on Tuesday. We're not expecting him to play vs. the Bengals on Saturday afternoon, which would leave Ty Chandler as Minnesota's lead back -- and a potential RB2 in fantasy lineups. We'll keep you updated on Mattison's status over the next few days.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison injured his right ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Raiders and did not return. We should get an update on his status on Monday. If Mattison misses more time, Ty Chandler will take over as Minnesota's lead back. Week 15 brings a plus matchup vs. the Bengals.
The Vikings’ backfield got a whole lot more interesting on Sunday night. RB Alexander Mattison logged 18 carries for 81 rushing yards on 64.8% of the team’s offensive snaps vs. the Broncos. He saw a tremendous amount of work despite coming into the contest as a question mark due to sustaining a concussion in Week 10. As exciting as that is, his teammate Ty Chandler showed promise. The second-round back tallied 110 total yards on 14 touches, playing on just 31% of the Vikings’ snaps. It’s clear Chandler was the more efficient of the two, but it’s worth remembering that a decent amount of that production came on a fake punt, 31-yard run from him. Still, it’ll be worth it for fantasy managers to monitor both he and Mattison moving forward. Each player has room to thrive as the Vikings’ remaining schedule ranks as the third-easiest for RB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed and will have a chance to prove who’s worthy of opportunity against a lately formidable Bears run defense in Week 12.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Broncos. He shouldn't have any physical limitations after clearing the protocol. Remember, though, that RB Ty Chandler matched Mattison with eight carries before Mattison left last week's game with his concussion. Mattison out-targeted Chandler two to 0 and is the preferred fantasy play against Denver's 32nd-ranked RB defense. But we're expecting to see plenty of Chandler tonight, too.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says to expect a "pretty even split" between RBs Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler vs. the Broncos tonight. That's exactly what we saw last week, with Mattison tallying eight carries and two targets to Chandler's eight carries and zero targets before Mattison's concussion. Mattison is the preferred fantasy play tonight, but Chandler isn't too far behind in the Week 11 RB Rankings.
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) is "good to go" for tonight's game vs. the Broncos. He shouldn't have any physical limitations after clearing the protocol. Remember, though, that RB Ty Chandler matched Mattison with eight carries before Mattison left last week's game with his concussion. Mattison out-targeted Chandler two to 0 and is the preferred fantasy play against Denver's 32nd-ranked RB defense. But we're expecting to see plenty of Chandler tonight, too.
On Saturday, Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling tweeted that he expects RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) to play in Week 11 vs. the Broncos. Though he will still have to clear NFL concussion protocol prior to Sunday night's game, this is very good news for fantasy managers. The Broncos' defense ranks as the single-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed and 32nd in run-defense DVOA in 2023.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. He progressed from no practice on Wednesday to limited participation on Thursday and then a full workout on Friday. Mattison seemingly has a real chance to be cleared for Sunday night. We should get another update on his status on Saturday. Ty Chandler will operate as Minnesota’s lead back if Mattison doesn’t play.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time to play vs. the Broncos on Sunday night. Mattison's absence would leave Ty Chandler as Minnesota's lead back against the #32 RB defense.
Vikings RB Ty Chandler logged 15 carries for 45 rushing yards and a TD in Week 10 vs. the Saints. It was reasonable to assume the second-year back would elevate into some sort of committee role with fellow RB Cam Akers out for the rest of 2023 with a torn Achilles. But with lead runner Alexander Mattison leaving in the third quarter of the contest with a concussion, it’s possible that fantasy managers could be looking at an incredible waiver wire target in Chandler. He played well on Sunday, is currently the healthiest RB in Minnesota, and the Vikings are set to take on a Broncos defense in Week 11 that ranks 31st in run defense DVOA this season. Be sure to look for his name when making claims in the coming days.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison sustained a concussion in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Saints. That leaves Ty Chandler as Minnesota's lead back for the rest of this one -- and likely in Week 11 against Denver. We'll track Mattison's progress through the protocol this coming week.
Does Cam Akers' Achilles' tear mean that Vikings RB Ty Chandler is about to get a big boost in work? HC Kevin O'Connell said this week: “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get Ty [Chandler] more involved and kind of assume a little bit more of kind of that role Cam was assuming.” That stops short of saying Chandler will take over a role that afforded Akers just 11 touches per game even over his busiest three-game stretch since arriving. Of course, it's also important to remember that Chandler was already with the team -- and had been since Minnesota drafted him last year -- when the Vikings acquired Akers and shoved him into the No. 2 role. Chandler has yet to garner more than 4 touches in a game this season. We'll certainly bet on that increasing the rest of the way. But O'Connell also mentioned Kene Nwangwu in the answer about Chandler's role, noting Nwangwu's experience and "juice." He added that the team is likely to take a "committee approach" and "kinda ride he hot hand." You should expect Mattison to remain the clear leader of what has been one of the league's weakest backfields (26th in PPR points per game, 26th in rushing yards). He's a bottom-level RB2 candidate going forward. Chandler is fine to stash on deep benches in case he surprises. And Nwangwu can be stashed in deep leagues. There's likely not a season-altering player among this trio, though. Check the Free Agent Finder to see if any makes sense for your fantasy football team.
The Vikings fear a torn Achilles for RB Cam Akers, HC Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's win over the Falcons. This would be Akers' left Achilles. He tore his right Achilles in July 2021, eventually making it back in January 2022. This latest injury would end Akers' 2023 campaign, leaving Minnesota's backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We should get confirmation on the injury on Monday.
Update: The Monday MRi confirmed the injury. Unfortunately, this makes Akers droppable across fantasy formats, including dynasty.
Vikings RB Cam Akers suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We'll update Akers' status when we know more.
The Vikings made RB Cam Akers inactive for his first game with the team. So RB Alexander Mattison continued to dominate backfield usage. He took 20 carries for 93 yards and added a 5-32 receiving line on 7 targets. Mattison benefited from facing a weak Chargers D and from Minnesota running 83 offensive plays. But we'll have to assume he retains the clear backfield lead until/unless something changes. Week 4 holds a high-upside matchup with a Panthers D that has been run over so far this season.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison out-carried Ty Chandler 11-3 in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. Mattison didn’t find much room to run, but he salvaged his day with an excellent individual effort on a goal-line receiving TD. Mattison also ran 22 routes to only 7 for Chandler, so there’s no concern over the passing-game role. Week 2 brings a tough matchup with Philly, but Mattison will remain an RB2. Keep Chandler stashed as a high-value handcuff.
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