Based on the look on his face while talking to reporters on Monday, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is just as frustrated as every fantasy football owner who has him.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of positivity in sight as Cook says the hamstring injury that kept him out of a Week 3 loss to the Bills and limited him last Thursday against the Rams still isn’t 100 percent.
“I don’t know, man. This thing is still healing up,” Cook said Monday. “I want to be 100 percent as bad as everybody else wants me to be 100 percent, but I’m just not there yet. Just gotta keep chipping away at it and I’m going to be ready when the time comes, when I need to be.”
It’s unclear if Cook will play or be limited this Sunday against the Eagles, but the Vikings really need Cook to get healthy as soon as possible.
Minnesota’s woeful defense is to blame for the Vikings having an NFL-low 73 carries in four games, but Cook’s 2.7 yards per carry and 98 yards are, sadly, team highs. Yes, 98 yards is good enough to lead a Minnesota rushing attack that ranks dead last in the NFL with 253 yards.
“There’s nothing wrong with the guys we got,” Cook said when asked about the run blocking. “There’s nothing wrong with nobody up there. We just gotta take advantage of it, keep getting better every week. It’s going to come.”
Latavius Murray, who has 64 yards and an average of 3.4 yards per carry, wasn’t as dismissive about the rushing woes.
“It’s been non-existent, to be honest with you,” he said. “That’s just what it is. We’ve just got to figure it out. We have to be better.”
Making matters worse is that Philadelphia has the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL, allowing just 63.8 yards per game.
