9 Offensive Line Notes With Fantasy Football Implications
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are the other line getting a lot of talk this summer, and that's fully justified. But things aren't nearly as bad there as in Carolina.
It's true that they've had injuries pretty much everywhere across the board. At one point or another, they've been without everybody except left tackle Riley Reiff. Things seem to be trending in the right direction, though.
Good sign for #Vikings OL as Mike Remmers and Rashod Hill are taking 11-on-11 reps again, sparingly. O’Neill and Isidora mixed in for them.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) August 21, 2018
Mike Remmers and Rashod Hill entered camp as the presumptive starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively, and both had missed a good chunk of time. Getting them back this week has been a boost.
That's the good. There is still some bad at the other two interior spots, though.
To start, left guard Nick Easton is done for the season after undergoing neck surgery. Right guard Joe Berger retired in the offseason, meaning the two guard spots will be new starters at those positions this year.
Additionally, center Pat Elflein is still on the PUP list, and has been all of camp due to offseason shoulder surgery. Head coach Mike Zimmer has said Elflein will be back soon, but his continued absence puts his Week 1 status up in the air.
If Elflein is able to return to the field, things could be all right up in Minneapolis. But if not, it would put the Vikings down two spots in the interior, including the second-most important spot on the line.
Because there are so many respectable quarterbacks this year, it's fair to give Kirk Cousins a slight downgrade in the event that Elflein isn't healthy for Week 1. The same could be true for Dalvin Cook, who's currently going at the front end of the second round. But if Elflein is able to come back, it's likely status quo on what could be a high-flying offense in 2018.
