Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said RB Cam Akers "more than likely" won't play vs. the Chargers on Sunday. O'Connell does expect Akers to be ready for Week 4. But RB Alexander Mattison will get at least one more game as Minnesota's feature back.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Rams are trading RB Cam Akers to the Vikings in exchange for a swap of 2026 NFL Draft picks. Akers was a surprise inactive on Sunday vs. the 49ers, and HC Sean McVay reiterated to the media on Monday that the team was trying to deal away the former second-round pick. This news brings the "will they, won't they" saga dating back to the 2022 season to a close and also muddies the outlook for incumbent Vikings RB Alexander Mattison. Fantasy managers who roster Mattison will now have to worry about Akers, who has connections to HC Kevin O'Connell and OC Wes Phillips dating back to their days in Los Angeles, coming in and taking away some work. This could be merely a depth move, though Mattison has not been particularly effective this season, averaging just 31.0 rushing yards per game. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the fantasy fallout of this trade.

On Monday, ESPN's Sarah Barshop tweeted that Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters that GM Les Snead has spoken with "a handful of teams" regarding a trade for RB Cam Akers and "that's the direction" the Rams are headed. This would seem to indicate that RB Kyren Williams will remain the most fantasy-relevant back in Los Angeles for the time being. Even so, there's nothing stopping the Rams from adding another back to the depth chart at some point down the line. We'll keep an eye on how this situation continues unfolding in the coming days.

Rams RB Cam Akers is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the 49ers, as Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported would be the case a few minutes before 1 pm ET this afternoon. RBs Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, and Royce Freeman are active for Los Angeles. Williams figures to handle the majority of the backfield work.

Rams RB Cam Akers will be a healthy scratch for this afternoon's game vs. the 49ers, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. Glazer adds that some teams believe Akers is on the trade block. Hopefully you weren't counting on him in Week 2 fantasy lineups. The news makes RB Kyren Williams easier to trust in fantasy lineups, despite the negative matchup.

For the second straight week, Vikings WR Jordan Addison paid the fantasy bills with a long TD. It was a 39-yarder on busted coverage in Week 1. On Thursday night vs. the Eagles, Addison beat CB Josh Jobe on a deep route and then shook his tackle attempt for a 62-yard TD. The rookie has now tallied 133 yards and two TDs on seven catches and 11 targets through the first two games of the season. That's 19.0 yards per catch and 12.1 yards per target -- completely unsustainable numbers. Addison's volume should grow going forward, though. He continued to trail WR K.J. Osborn in snaps and routes tonight. But that shouldn't last much longer, especially after Osborn committed two ugly drops in the loss to the Eagles. Consider Addison a WR3 for now. He has the potential to flirt with WR2 value in this pass-heavy Vikings offense as soon as he becomes something close to an every-snap player.

Vikings RB Alexander Mattison mustered just 28 scoreless yards on eight carries (3.5 YPC) in Thursday night’s loss to the Eagles. He turned six targets into three catches and 11 yards. Mattison has now totaled 83 yards on 25 touches through two games this season — an ugly 3.3 yards per touch. He hasn’t gotten much help from his offensive line but also hasn’t made much happen on his own. Mattison continued to dominate the backfield work vs. Philadelphia, with RB Ty Chandler getting just one carry and two targets. But we could see Chandler’s role grow if Mattison doesn’t start producing more. Mattison's RB2 status is on very shaky ground.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins chucked for 364 yards and four TDs in Thursday night’s loss to the Eagles. He did it despite consistent pressure from the Eagles pass rush — and Minnesota only running 55 offensive plays. Cousins was efficient, completing 70.5% of his passes at 8.3 yards per clip. And the Vikings went extremely pass-heavy. Cousins threw 44 times vs. just nine total runs. That’s become a regular occurrence for Minnesota under HC Kevin O’Connell — and has made Cousins a steady fantasy producer. Expect to find him inside the top-12 QBs in our rankings the next four weeks vs. the Chargers, Panthers, Chiefs, and Bears. Week 7 brings a tough matchup against San Francisco.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison scored his first career TD in Week 1. Kirk Cousins found the rookie deep for a 39-yard score on 3rd and 11. Addison’s 6 targets matched K.J. Osborn’s total and was predictably behind Justin Jefferson’s tally (12). Still, you have to view Addison’s debut as a success. The 21-year-old should prove useful as a matchup-based WR3 going forward. We expect the Vikings to remain a pass heavy squad in 2023.

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.

Vikings Edge Marcus Davenport is inactive for today's game against the Buccaneers. He suffered an ankle injury in Friday's practice and entered the day questionable. We'll see about his status for Week 2 and beyond. Davenport is merely a low-level IDP option until he proves otherwise.

The Vikings and TE T.J. Hockenson have agreed to a four-year extension that keeps him in Minnesota through the 2027 season. Hockenson is getting $66 million over the four new years with $42.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hockenson has missed most of training camp with an alleged ear infection and stiff back -- but we're guessing this new contract heals him up. We'll keep an eye on Hockenson's status, but he should be ready to go for Week 1.

Vikings RB Kene Nwangwu has been placed on IR. That knocks him out for at least the first four games of the season. Minnesota signed RB Myles Gaskin, who figures to serve as the No. 3 RB behind Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.

"Do not underestimate the Vikings’ commitment to [RB Alexander] Mattison," The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes. "The team believes in him and it believes he is a key cog in their attempt at improved rushing efficiency. Mattison might not provide the explosive element that [RB Dalvin] Cook possesses, but the Vikings are committed to providing him an every-down workload." Mattison isn't the most exciting talent, but everything we've heard from Minnesota since Cook's departure is that Mattison is in for big volume this year. He's a solid pick in the fifth or sixth round of fantasy drafts.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson is over the ear infection that has sidelined him in camp but is now out with lower-back stiffness, according to insider Sam Ekstrom. Like the ear issue, this doesn't sound like a major concern. But it's certainly been a less-than-ideal August for Hockenson. We'll let you know when he gets back on the field.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison (concussion) returned to practice on Wednesday and appeared to be a full-go, according to The Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer. If Addison hasn't been fully cleared yet, he's close. The rookie will be ready to go in plenty of time for Week 1. Consider his fantasy value unaffected by the concussion.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison is in concussion protocol, HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. Addison has experienced "very light symptoms," per Stefanski, but could be cleared as soon as Monday. This shouldn't impact Addison's availability for the start of the regular season, but we'll let you know when he gets back on the field.

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson said Monday that an ear infection early in camp was affecting his equilibrium. That has kept him out of contact and team drills, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Hockenson also said he didn't know if he would participate in upcoming joint practices with the Titans. This doesn't sound like a big issue. But avoiding contact for that long suggests it's something we need to at least be aware of. We'll see how the rest of August goes for Hockenson. For now, he's not moving down our fantasy football rankings, though.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell highlighted RB Ty Chandler as a standout in Thursday night's preseason opener vs. the Seahawks. "I thought Ty Chandler jumped out, because any time he had the ball in his hand, very rarely was he tackled by the first defender," O'Connell said. Chandler finished with 11 carries for 41 yards and caught all four of his targets for 29 yards. He got three-down usage with the starters -- which did not include QB Kirk Cousins, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Justin Jefferson, or TE T.J. Hockenson. RB Kene Nwangu was also held out with an injury, while RB DeWayne McBride only spelled Chandler on occasion in the first half. It was a strong showing from Chandler and has him looking like the favorite to open the season as Minnesota's No. 2 RB behind Mattison.

Plenty of opportunities are available in the Vikings' backfield following the offseason release of long-time starter RB Dalvin Cook. Alexander Mattison figures to be the new lead back in Minnesota, but the competition remains open for the RB2 spot behind him. According to The Athletic's Alec Lewis, neither Kene Nwangwu nor Ty Chandler seem to be winning the battle. Lewis highlights "questions about their abilities in pass protection" as big red flags and adds that "it would not surprise [him] to see the Vikings take a shot on a veteran who has experience with a considerable early-down workload," given the large number of available backs on the open free agent market. This report provides far more questions than it answers. It helps to reaffirm that Mattison is secure in his role, but that's about it. Any sort of deeper read into this situation would be mere speculation, though we'll be sure to keep our ears to the ground should any information linking a veteran back to the Vikings arise.