After rumors swirled all offseason, it’s been reported that Dalvin Cook will officially be released by the Minnesota Vikings after failing to find a trade partner. That means that teams like the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, or Los Angeles Chargers will be free to sign him to a free-agent deal. The move frees up $9 million in cap space with a dead cap of just over $8.2 million. Since he was cut after June 1, the Vikings can move ~$3.1 million of that dead cap to 2024 with the rest on the books in 2023.  They decided his contract was no longer worth it given their cap situation but another team will certainly have a roster spot for last year’s RB11 in fantasy football. Let’s take a look at some potential landing spots and the real-life implications as well as the impact on fantasy football ADP and dynasty rankings.

 

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart & Fantasy Football Impact

Much like the Adam Thielen release, the Vikings decided the player at this stage of his career was not worth the cap space. The Vikings still have a crowded backfield as is with Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and rookie DeWayne McBride. After agreeing to a two year, $7 million dollar deal to return this offseason, expect Alexander Mattison to get first crack at that starting job. Kene Nwangwu is likely to operate mostly as a return man and DeWayne McBride does not offer much of a pass catching profile (he only caught five passes in his entire college career) so Ty Chandler is your next best bet for upside in fantasy football.

Dalvin Cook Team Landing Spots

Most NFL backfields could find a role for a player of Dalvin Cook’s caliber but here are the teams that both make sense and have been rumored to have interest in Cook.

Miami Dolphins - Mike McDaniel has done a tremendous job of replicating that offense he ran in San Francisco. San Fran made a big move for Christian McCaffrey last year and the Dolphins could look to do the same with Cook.

Denver Broncos - Starting running back Javonte Williams is recovering from a serious knee injury. The Broncos have been rumored to be in the mix.

Los Angeles Chargers - Austin Ekeler has quietly never had a 1,000 yard rushing season. After failing to move the football late against the Jaguars in last year’s playoffs, Cook could be a nice compliment to Austin Ekeler. 

Dallas Cowboys - After releasing Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys might be interested in a new one-two punch to pair with Tony Pollard.

New York Jets - Rumors have linked Dalvin Cook to the New York Jets as well, who have gone all in this year with 39 year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. With Breece Hall recovering from a knee injury, they might want to load up.

Dalvin Cook NFL Futures Betting Odds

There hasn’t been much change in the Vikings lines for over/under win totals, division winner, Super Bowl etc. as this move was likely already baked into current values. Handicapper Adam Thompson of Bookies.com had previously given the following odds on a hypothetical landing spot for Dalvin Cook based on his resources

TEAMODDS
New York Jets+600
Miami Dolphins+625
Dallas Cowboys+625
Chicago Bears+1000
Arizona Cardinals+1000
Buffalo Bills+1100
Denver Broncos+1500
The Field+600

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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