Late-week news renders this NFC North showdown a likely blowout, with Sean Mannion making a spot start and Kirk Cousins on the reserve/COVID-19 list. As a result, I’m highlighting only four players from the Vikings. Further, I’ll probably only use one on any of my single-game entries. Thus, the Packers are heavily featured.

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Game: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Spread: GB -13.0 Points

Over/Under: 42.5 Points

Vikings Analysis: The Vikings are more than a two-touchdown underdog with a ghastly implied total of only 14.75 points. Yuck. The game's lopsided spread might result in Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn receiving enough volume to produce fantasy-friendly results. However, I prefer to either punt with Mannion or pay for Dalvin Cook in a plus matchup, hoping the Vikings can keep it close longer than expected.

According to Football Outsiders, the Packers are 31st in rush defense Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). In addition, according to Pro-Football-Reference, running backs are amassing a rock-solid 4.46 yards per rush attempt against the Packers. Cook is steamrolling teams for 97.0 rushing yards per game. However, even if the game gets away from the Vikings early, he might be active in the passing attack. Cook averages 2.7 receptions and 20.1 receiving yards per game.

Finally, Mannion might pepper Cook with targets, given the limited data on him when he last played in the regular season in 2019. According to Pro Football Focus, Mannion attempted 18 passes in 2019, 11 were deemed short (0-9 yards), and four were behind the line of scrimmage.

Packers Analysis: It's all about loading up on the Packers on this single-game slate. Will Aaron Rodgers need to air it out late in this game? Probably not. However, it's possible he can push them to a significant lead with multiple touchdowns before the game is a blowout. Last week, we saw Dak Prescott rolling up fantasy points in bunches in the Sunday Night Football game, and the formula can be similar for Rodgers delivering for gamers that use him.

However, it's possible to get the best of Green Bay's passing attack via their pass-catchers. Davante Adams is my favorite option from Green Bay. According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Vikings allow the most DraftKings and FanDuel points per game to wide receivers. Meanwhile, Adams checks all the boxes as an elite receiver. According to Sports Info Solutions, Adams is 11th in Intended Air Yards (1,427) and second in target share (29.8%). Predictably, he's converting his elite underlying numbers into eye-popping box-score numbers, averaging 7.6 receptions and 97.3 receiving yards per game with 10 receiving touchdowns.

The matchup is mouthwatering for Green Bay's ancillary receivers, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Picking between the two, I prefer to use field-stretcher MVS. Among pass-catchers with at least 50 targets, MVS has had the deepest average target depth (17.7). Thankfully, that's tailor-made for shredding the Vikings. According to Sharp Football Stats, the Vikings allow the 11th-highest average explosive pass rate (nine percent). Further, MVS's usage means he only needs one big play to validate using him on rosters.

Unfortunately, Josiah Deguara hasn't done much in his second season. However, since Week 14, he has been third on the team in routes (67). So, maybe his route-running will lead to more point scoring in this game.

Finally, I love doubling up on Green Bay's running backs. The Vikings are 22nd in rush defense DVOA. Moreover, they allow the 11th-most DraftKings and 10th-most FanDuel points per game to running backs in 2021. So, there's a path to success for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in a likely blowout win.

However, if picking between the two, I like Dillon a bit better, salary considered. When the Packers have led by eight points or more this year, Jones has rushed 24 times for 91 yards, and Dillon has rushed 45 times for 176 yards. Thus, Dillon is an excellent bet to serve as the closer for Green Bay.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.