Minnesota Vikings: 5 Bold predictions for the 2018 regular season
By Joe Kipp
3. Latavius Murray leads the team in touchdowns
Latavius Murray was supposed to be the starting running back for the Vikings for the foreseeable future when they initially signed him during the 2017 offseason. Just months later, though, Dalvin Cook fell all the way to pick 41 in the 2017 draft — a value general manager Rick Spielman couldn’t pass up on.
Cook had a promising start to his rookie season, which was obviously cut short due to an ACL injury. The Vikings have been extremely cautious with him during his recovery, as he only played four snaps during the entire preseason. Minnesota may continue to ease Cook back into action, especially since Murray is a startling-caliber NFL running back.
Murray didn’t look overly-impressive in the preseason, but he’s sure to lock up the goal line duties, which allowed him to score 12 touchdowns in 2016 with the Oakland Raiders, and eight touchdowns last season with the Vikings. A role that’s traditionally extremely kind to the stat sheet, Murray could rack up touchdowns fast as the goal line back in 2018.
Murray has also shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and looked to be a favorite target of Cousins’ during the preseason. Catching the ball is a trait that could allow him to see more snaps, which, combined with being the goal line back, could easily allow him to garner 12 or more touchdowns this season.