Vikings won't sit starters Week 18

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that he won't sit his starters in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Bears -- although he added that he could make "more subtle" adjustments to playing time. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed but are still alive for the #2 seed with a win plus a loss by the 49ers. Minnesota kicks off at 1 pm ET, while 49ers-Cardinals doesn't start until 4:25 pm ET, so there won't be any scoreboard watching going on. It's possible that the Vikings pull guys like QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson if they build a big lead, but we're currently projecting full playing time for all of them.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins completed 31 of 39 attempts for 273 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's Wild Card loss vs. the Giants. He also punched in a 1-yard rushing TD in the contest. The veteran put forth about as valiant of an effort as one can ask for, but the Giants ultimately proved to be too big a challenge. It'll be interesting to see how HC Kevin O'Connell and company rebound from this upset loss in 2023. It's fair to say the effort should start with bolstering their defense that ranked 28th in Football Outsiders' DVOA this season.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Friday that his regulars will start this weekend's game vs. the Bears but that there's a plan to potentially pull them early to get backups some reps, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed and can only climb from #3 to #2 with a 49ers loss to the Cardinals. QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WRs Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen and TE T.J. Hockenson are candidates to leave Sunday's game early.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for just 205 yards in Sunday's loss to the Packers, with 1 TD and 3 INTs. The lone TD went to WR Jalen Nailor from 47 yards out, helping him lead the team with 89 yards on 3 catches. TE T.J. Hockenson led the team with 12 targets, catching 7 for 59 yards. WR K.J. Osborn added a TD catch, but it came from QB Nick Mullens in garbage time. WR Justin Jefferson managed just 1 reception for 15 yards among 5 looks. Minnesota closes out the regular season with an upside matchup at Chicago.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards and 3 TDs in Saturday's narrow victory over the Giants. He hit TE T.J. Hockenson for 2 scores and found WR Justin Jefferson for the other. Those 2 accounted for 66.7% of Cousins' total pass attempts, drawing 16 targets apiece. No other Viking saw more than 4. The Vikings head to Green Bay in Week 17 to face a Packers defense that ranks among the worst against the run, but negative as a scoring matchup for QBs.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for 460 yards and 4 TDs (with 2 INTs) in Saturday's comeback win over the Colts. He racked up a season-high 54 pass attempts in a game that found Minnesota fall behind 33-0 before roaring back and winning in OT. Cousins hit K.J. Osborn, Justin Jefferson, Dalvin cook and Adam Thielen for scores. It's his 2nd straight game with more than 400 yards passing. Minnesota gets the Giants and Packers in the final 2 weeks for most fantasy football leagues -- neither a scary matchup.