Jerick McKinnon seeing first-team work in Vikings' backfield
Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon opened OTAs handling "most of the first-team reps" out of the backfield.
With Latavius Murray nursing an ankle injury and Dalvin Cook fresh out of Florida State, it's no surprise that McKinnon is handling first-string work, but it likely doesn't mean much. A perennial darling of the analytics and fantasy communities, McKinnon averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in Minnesota last season and failed to establish himself as a lead back. Plenty of that can be blamed on a porous offensive line, but with Cook and Murray now in tow, McKinnon may very well fall to third on the depth chart this offseason.
McKinnon's -0.13 Rushing Net Expected Points per carry last season were lowest among the 27 running backs to see 150-plus carries. In related news, the Vikings were worst in the NFL in 2016 in Adjusted Offensive Rushing Net Expected Points per play.
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