Minnesota Vikings Vs. Seattle Seahawks: Betting Preview, Odds & Picks
Encouraged by their first win this season, Minnesota (1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS) is visiting still undefeated Seattle (4- SU, 4-0 ATS) in this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup. Granted, their win did come against the underperforming Houston and the Vikings still have to prove that they have what it takes to fight for the playoffs this season. The trip to the CenturyLink Field will probably provide them with the most difficult test possible.
Line Movement
The superb Seattle form has resulted in the -9.5 opening line in their favor, but with a lot of money coming in on the Vikings the spread has moved to a more reasonable -7. After opening at 58.5, the totals have settled at 56.5 which seems very tempting considering that the Sunday Night rivals already had 5 over-sixty games between the two of them.
Thoughts on Minnesota
Despite a shaky start and QB Kirk Cousins not performing up to the standard of his big-money contract, the Vikings offense has been pretty solid this season, mostly thanks to the stellar performances of their receivers and RB Davin Cook. After throwing for 6 interceptions with the same number of touchdowns, Cousins probably eyes this game as the chance to redeem himself. The Seahawks are allowing a 401.0 passing yards per game and opposing QB’s have thrown 50.0 times per game against them. That’s twice the Cousins’ average this season. Minnesota has been a run-first team this year, but they probably have to alter their tactics a bit and attack Seattle though the air.
If this plan works, WRs Adam Thielen and especially rookie Justin Jefferson may prove to be fantasy gold this week. Jefferson has established himself as a clear number 2 Minnesota passing option while Thielen should continue to thrive after the departure of Stefon Diggs. RB Davin Cook has been the most reliable option for the Vikings so far but may be limited by the Seahawks defense ranking 6th in defensive rush efficiency this season.
Thoughts on Seattle
With their performances leading up to Week 5, the Seahawks have absolutely justified the preseason contender tag. Pete Carroll is letting Russell Wilson do his thing this season and Seattle QB has emerged as one of the strong MVP favorites.
While Seattle excelled in the passing game this season, last week’s game against Dolphins brought some balance to their attack as RB Chris Carson rushed for 80 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. As we mentioned, there are question marks over their passing defense who could be in for a long night if Kirk Cousins finally finds some chemistry with his targets.
DFS players will be interested to see if Wilson can continue with his amazing 4-touchdown average but he is certainly expected to feast yet again on Sunday against a below-par Vikings defense. Wide receivers continue to be very efficient and Tyler Locket will be particularly motivated to prove that last week’s dud against Miami was just a blip on his otherwise stellar season. Make sure to monitor the injury status of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde. If they are limited, the third RB option, David Moore could be a sneaky good pick.
Betting Pick: Seattle -7
There’s no reason to quit riding on the superb form of Russel Wilson and his offense, at least until we see some evidence pointing otherwise. Last week’s game against the Dolphins was their worst offensive outing so far and they still managed to score 30 points. Expect them to top even more on the struggling Vikings.
