Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in football, and I would expect him to remind people of that against a bad Bengals defense. While the stat sheet has been disappointing for Jefferson so far, he’s 6th in the NFL in separation score and route win rate via FantasyPoints. He is one of the best contested catch guys in the NFL with the best hands since DeAndre Hopkins, which is an invaluable skill to have for less accurate backup quarterbacks. 

One thing I think we can be fairly confident about is that Carson Wentz will increase the passing volume without JJ McCarthy. They had a very safe offense with the rookie, mostly leaning on the ground game to keep him out of trouble. While I would still expect plenty of rushing, I think there will be trust for an NFL vet like Carson Wentz to get the ball to the Vikings' star offensive player. He also voiced some frustration with the lack of targets, and the last thing you want is an upset star receiver on your team. I would expect them to look for Jefferson early and often with the new quarterback situation.

While we know how talented the Bengals' pass catchers are, we have already seen insane usage for Chase Brown. He has 21 and 16 carries this season, with the Bengals not really mixing in any other running backs on the ground. That kind of usage is pretty rare, and going against the Vikings' strong defense, I would expect them to play it pretty safe. The Falcons just laid out a clear roadmap to beating this team last week, on the ground. The Falcons RB’s combined for 39 carries and 218 yards in a dominant win, and I would expect the Bengals to at least try to replicate it on the ground. 

One of Jake Browning’s biggest problems can be turnovers, and one way to mitigate those is to keep the ball on the ground. The Vikings blitz at one of the highest rates in the league, and I’m not sure the Bengals coaches want to consistently see him drop back against the blitz. Not only is establishing the run important for winning this game, but it's also important for keeping their quarterback upright and out of trouble.

On Wednesday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed what we already knew, saying, “I’m not sure we could have much more confidence in Jordan as a bell cow kind of back.” about Mason. They resigned Cam Akers, but he will only get one or two practices with the team, meaning we can expect at least 85% of the touches to go to Mason. He is currently 4th in the NFL, averaging 4.5 yards after contact this season. He has the talent to take over this backfield, and I’m expecting at least 15 carries on Sunday. 

The loss of Aaron Jones definitely hurts the Vikings' overall offense, but Mason had plenty of experience handling all the touches with the 49ers last year. Generally, when you lose your starting quarterback, you're going to have a simpler offense with your backup. Since we know Jordan Mason can handle a heavy workload, I would expect the Vikings to lean into that against a bad Bengals defense.

Through two games of the season James Cook is probably the NFL’s most in-form running back. He’s accumulated 176 yards on the ground and added a further 61 through the air, and it’s his dual threat ability that makes him such a good offensive piece for the Bills. 

So far this season he’s scored in each game, with one in the opening week win over the Ravens, followed up by two against the Jets last time out. The Jets have given up three rushing touchdowns through two games and given how electric the former Georgia man has looked so far this season, he’s the must-play pick to score a touchdown here.