Vikings training camp: 3 Fantasy football storylines to watch in Minnesota

2. How different will the Vikings defense look?

One of the biggest question marks leading into the new season for Minnesota is just how different its defense will look and if it will be able to return to dominance on the defensive side of the ball like we’ve seen for the last few years.

Over the last handful of seasons, basically since Mike Zimmer took over at the helm of the Vikings back in 2014, Minnesota has consisted of one of the top defensive groups in the entire NFL and that has resulted in them being a solid option as a defense to add to fantasy football rosters.

While entering the offseason as a team that was in a tough spot when it comes to its salary cap situation, the Vikings were faced with some tough decisions following the 2019 season and would ultimately have to cut ties with some familiar faces within various aspects of the team.

Defense was one of the areas on the squad that saw the largest amount of turnover throughout the free agency period and during the offseason.

During the offseason, part of the hard decision-making that took place hit the back end of the Vikings defense the hardest after the organization parted ways with the likes of safeties Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo, as well as cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes. Minnesota also saw key players on the defensive line like defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and defensive ends Everson Griffen and Stephen Weatherly leave in free agency as well.

Those departures mean Minnesota will likely look fairly different on the defensive side of the field in 2020 as it tries to move on and fill holes on that side of the field during the season.

Although there will be players like cornerback Mike Hughes, rookie cornerback Jeff Gladney, defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo and others who will have to step into starting roles, there will still be key faces like linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, defensive end Danielle Hunter and safeties Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith that Vikings fans will recognize that the purple and gold will lean on in the upcoming campaign.

The big question is, however, with the mix of new and remaining talent now appearing on the defensive side of the field, if Minnesota will once again emerge as a dominant group on defense in 2020 and if it can get back to being one of the top fantasy defenses in the league.