Jerick McKinnon (RB, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Everyone already knows about the Adrian Peterson situation, and it's not looking good for his chances of returning anytime soon (or at all) to the Minnesota Vikings. Running back Matt Asiata has been filling in as the lead running back, and doing a decent job, although his 3.4 YPC really isn't anything to write home about. The coaches trust him, and he's been stuffing in some carries at the goal line, but as we saw in Week 4 Jerick McKinnon is the more explosive and talented running back when he gets the ball.

With the Teddy Bridgewater era officially upon us, the Vikings' offense looked fast and dangerous against a weak Falcons defense on Sunday. It should be fun how this offense plays moving forward. The coaches have said McKinnon will continue to function as a change of pace running back behind Matt Asiata, but it's most likely just a matter of time before McKinnon emerges as the lead dog here. He should continue to see at least 8-10 touches per game for now, with upside for 15+ weekly looks based on the game situation, which makes him a viable FLEX/RB3 for now. But the upside is huge, as he can eventually emerge as an RB2 or RB1 if he were to get full time carries. He's a must add running back off the Week 5 waiver wire, even if you don't start him this week.