The Vikings are placing LB Blake Cashman on IR for the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Monday night's game. That means he'll miss at least the next four contests. That span runs directly into Minnesota's Week 6 bye, which should give Cashman a pretty good chance of returning as soon as he's eligible.
We'll see how LB playing time settles out for Minnesota over the next four weeks.
The Pro Football Focus numbers say fellow starter LB Ivan Pace Jr. still didn't play full-time snaps after Cashman left the Week 1 game against Chicago. Instead, Eric Wilson entered to assume the Cashman role, which included playing every snap.
Will that change with a week to prep for Cashman's absence?
When Cashman missed three games last season, Pace took on a full-time role. But that team didn't have Wilson, who spent the past four years in Philly, Houston, and then Green Bay after opening his career with the Vikings.
Minnesota let last year's reserve LBs walk, though, and brought back Wilson ahead of his age-31 season.
Even if Wilson's not necessarily a better player than Pace -- if he were, he'd probably be starting regularly -- Vikings coaches might feel comfier having him relay the defensive play calls. That likely carries particular importance in DC Brian Flores' complicated scheme, and Pace hasn't been able to keep such duties in the past.
So I'm projecting Wilson ahead of Pace in playing time, but also have Pace projected for an uptick in snaps and better stat production than Wilson. Check the LB rankings to see whether either guy makes sense for your IDP lineup.
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