Tag: Mike Boone

The Vikings’ Mike Boone had a chance to be a fantasy legend. It did not go well.

Mike Boone was given the keys to the Vikings offense and fantasy owners around the world put their faith in him. It ended disastrously.

On Monday night, thousands of fantasy football championships came down to an unfamiliar name — Mike Boone.

Following injuries to Vikings running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, Minnesota turned to Boone, an undrafted running back, to lead their backfield.

With really no one else to take touches from him, Boone became very attractive, and a name that was widely available heading into the championship. For owners that had Cook, or were looking for a flex play that could pay big dividends, Boone was essentially a must-add.

Numerous fantasy analysts hyped him as a top-10 running back, someone who could grab multiple touchdowns and win you a league.

With all of Sunday’s games completed, the fantasy world tuned in Monday night to see if Boone would deliver and instantly become a fantasy football legend.

Boone did not deliver. Boone did not instantly become a fantasy football legend. Boone finished with 28 yards on 11 carries, and no touchdowns. He tacked on one reception for five yards.

…That was it.

Fantasy owners did not take this well.

Dry your tears, Mike Boone owners. There’s always next year.

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Vikings RBs Cook and Mattison inactive, Mike Boone in line to start

Boone ran for 56 yards and two touchdowns in relief duty last week against the Chargers. 

As expected, the Vikings will be without running back Dalvin Cook (chest) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) on Monday night against the Packers.

Second-year running back Mike Boone will get the start and we’ll probably see plenty of Ameer Abdullah as well.

Boone ran for 56 yards and two touchdowns in relief duty last week against the Chargers.

Other than the running back position, the Vikings are relatively healthy. No other players are missing the game due to injury concerns.

Joining Cook and Mattison as inactives are defensive tackle Hercule Mata’afa, guard Dru Sami, tackle Oli Udoh, tackle Aviante Collins and defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes.

The Vikings’ Mike Boone has the chance to become an all-time fantasy football legend

Good luck!

The name Mike Boone may go down in fantasy football history.

Either the Minnesota Vikings running back will come out of nowhere on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers and deliver a fantasy championship, or he will be an epic bust. And there will be a ton of fantasy owners who have title games riding on him.

Getting to this point was a headache to begin with. By Saturday, around when the first of three NFL games kicked off, fantasy owners knew Dalvin Cook would be out but that Alexander Mattison’s status was up in the air while he practiced in a limited capacity. So putting Boone — an undrafted free agent in 2018 who scored twice in Week 15 after Cook went down with an injury — into the lineup was already a risk. The matchup was too good to pass up — the Packers give up the eighth-most yards to opposing rushers and the Vikings have attempted the sixth-most rushes in the league. But what if Mattison played and split time or took over the job entirely?

Then came this tweet Sunday morning from ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

So here we are. It’s likely the Mike Boone Show. This is the nature of championship week, when a name like C.J. Anderson comes out of nowhere and surprises the world.

Best of luck and here are some other people who are in the same boat you might be in:

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Cook out, Mattison questionable vs. Packers

If Mattison can’t play, we’ll see plenty of second-year running back Mike Boone.

It’s official. The Vikings will be without running back Dalvin Cook (chest) in Week 16 on Monday Night Football against the Packers.

There’s still hope, though, for rookie running back Alexander Mattison. Mattison is questionable with an ankle injury.

It seems unlikely that Mattison would suit up, but there appears to be a chance.

If Mattison can’t play, we’ll see plenty of second-year running back Mike Boone, who ran for two touchdowns last week against the Chargers. Ameer Abdullah will also receive some extra touches.

Mike Boone will fit right in with the Vikings run scheme

Boone is coming off a two-quarter performance against the Chargers, where he ran the ball 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings are back at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday night, where they will take on the NFC North leading Green Bay Packers. In a game that usually comes down to the wire, the Vikings are looking like they’ll be without one of their top players.

According to NFL Insider Adam Schefter, it is unlikely Dalvin Cook plays on Monday night, and there have been several reports saying that Cook’s regular season has come to an end. 

Not only is Cook unlikely to play, but rookie running back Alexander Mattison has also been held out of both Thursday and Friday’s practices. Not practicing on the Friday leading up to a game is usually an indication that given player won’t play. However, the Vikings play on Monday Night Football, so they will have an extra day to work out their top two running backs on their depth chart. 

The Packers are coming into this game ranking 24th in terms of run defense, allowing opponents to average nearly 121 yards per game. Having Cook and Mattison would obviously be beneficial to the Vikings, but Mike Boone is more than capable of filling their roles against the Packers. 

Until last week against the Chargers, Boone hasn’t played a ton of meaningful football since his senior season at Cincinnati. Vikings fans who have paid attention to the team in the preseason have seen the second year running back run with a physical style. 

Of course, being a star in the preseason doesn’t always translate to playing well in the regular season, but Boone now has the chance to show what he can do. 

During his pro day at Cincinnati, Boone put out some of the best metrics for a running back entering the NFL in 2018. According to 247Sports Bearcat Journal, Boone ran a 4.45 40-yard dash, had a 138 inch broad jump and a 42 inch vertical. Again, these numbers don’t necessarily mean anything, but it shows how athletic Boone is. 

To put those numbers into comparison, Cook ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, had a 116 inch broad jump and a 30.5 inch vertical at his combine. 

Earlier this week, Kirk Cousins discussed was quoted on his podcast saying Boone is the real deal. 

Going up against a below average defense, Boone has a chance to really show off again not only to Vikings fans, but to the entire world. His physical yet athletic running style combined with the Gary Kubiak outside zone running scheme should have him poised for success against the league’s 24th ranked run defense. 

Boone is coming off a two quarter performance against the Chargers, where he ran the ball 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns. While averaging 4.3 yards per carry in Los Angelas, Boone stepped up for the absent Cook and Mattison.

The Vikings were questioned by many when they decided to keep four running backs and one fullback, all while only keeping four wide receivers on their 53-man roster. With the team 15 weeks through the regular season, it looks as if the front office made another great decision to keep Boone on the team.

Cook and Mattison miss another practice

Vikings running backs Dalvin Cook (chest) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) did not participate in Thursday’s practice.

In what’s not much of a surprise, Vikings running backs Dalvin Cook (chest) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) did not participate in Thursday’s practice.

We already know that Cook won’t play via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It feels pretty unlikely that Mattison will either, even with it being a Monday game.

We can expect to see a lot of second-year running back Mike Boone.

To round out Minnesota’s injury report, cornerback Xavier Rhodes (ankle), defensive tackle Linval Joseph (knee), defensive tackle (knee) Shamar Stephen and safety Jayron Kearse (toe) were full participants.

We’ll get the official injury designations for these players on Saturday.

Report: Vikings’ plan is to sit Cook for final 2 games of season

With Cook and Alexander Mattison most likely out in Week 16, we’ll see plenty of second-year running back Mike Boone.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (chest) is expected to miss Monday night’s game against the Packers.

Chad Graff from The Athletic doubled down on that, reporting that the plan is to sit Cook for the final two games of the season (the Vikings play the Bears in Week 17) to rest him for the postseason.

Of course, if the Rams beat the 49ers this week and the Vikings fall to the Packers, it’s pretty easy to see a scenario in which Cook plays in Week 17 in a must-win game for the Vikings.

With Cook and Alexander Mattison most likely out in Week 16, we’ll see second-year running back Mike Boone get most of the carries on Monday night.

Cook and Mattison held out of Thursday’s Vikings practice

Dalvin Cook is dealing with a shoulder injury while Alexander Mattison has an ankle injury.

Viking running backs Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) both missed Thursday’s practice as the team prepares for the Packers on MNF in Week 16.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday morning that Cook was unlikely to play on Monday night. The same can probably be said about Mattison, who missed every day of practice last week.

There’s a good chance we’ll see plenty of second-year running back Mike Boone against the Packers.

The good news for the Vikings is that all other players participated in some capacity in practice.

It sounds like Mike Boone will get a big opportunity vs. Packers

In relief duty against the Chargers, Boone ran 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 21 yards.

The Vikings will likely be without running back Dalvin Cook on Monday night against the Packers as he deals with a chest injury.

With rookie Alexander Mattison dealing with an ankle injury, it appears as if we’re in line for plenty of Mike Boone in Week 16.

In relief duty against the Chargers, Boone ran 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 21 yards.

As a rookie in 2018, Boone ran 11 times for 47 yards.

The sample size with Boone is small, but with the team’s zone blocking scheme, it’s a huge opportunity for running backs to have success. For Boone, this is that opportunity. Behind Boone on the depth chart is Ameer Abdullah, who we could see more of on passing plays.

Boone, 24, is under contract for $660,000 next season. Depending on how he plays in a bigger role, that could prove to be an absolute bargain.

There might be a chance that Mattison does play after not practicing at all last week. We’ll know more when the team opens up practice on Thursday.

Report: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook unlikely to play on MNF vs. Packers

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook injured his shoulder in Week 15 against the Chargers.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook injured his shoulder in Week 15 against the Chargers.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that injury is likely to keep Cook out on Monday Night Football against the Packers in Week 16.

That’s unfortunate for a team needing a win to make the playoffs, but Cook’s health is more important down the stretch if the Vikings do make a postseason run.

What’s problematic for the Vikings is that rookie Alexander Mattison, who has served as Cook’s backup this season, missed Week 15 with an ankle injury. We’ll know more about his availability for Week 16 as the week progresses.

If Cook and Mattison are out, the Vikings will rely on Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah. There also could be a corresponding move to bring another running back on the active roster.

Earlier this week, Cook was named to his first Pro Bowl team.

The Vikings will make the postseason with a win over the Packers or a Rams loss to the 49ers.