Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater must be thanking the football gods for delivering him speedy wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
In the first three games of the season (in which Diggs did not appear), Bridgewater averaged just 168 passing yards per game while posting a 1:2 TD-to-INT ratio. Minnesota averaged 20 points per game in that span. However, in the past four games with Diggs on the field, Bridgewater is averaging 255 yards with a 5:3 TD-to-INT ratio. The Vikings are also scoring at a slightly higher clip.
No, the sophomore signal-caller isn't quite enjoying the breakout campaign many were expecting. But the Vikings have won their last three games and Diggs has provided a much needed boost to the team's passing attack and to Bridgewater's performance. He's also been a gem of a free agent in fantasy football, averaging 12.75 standard fantasy points.
But can the young WR keep it up?
"Following yet another long touchdown this season, rookie sensation Stefon Diggs now sits third among wide receivers in fantasy points during the four weeks he has played," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Mike Clay wrote. "During that span, he has caught 25 passes for 419 yards (16.8 YPR) and two touchdowns. Diggs has shown he's a playmaker, but the long scores will be unsustainable, especially in a run-heavy offense sitting 23rd in plays and 28th in touchdowns. That's the bad news. The good news is that Diggs is in Antonio Brown/DeAndre Hopkins/Demaryius Thomas territory in terms of target volume. The rookie is averaging nine targets per game after racking up a career-high 11 in Week 9. No other Vikings player exceeded four."
Diggs, at just 6-feet and 191 pounds, will likely not receive a ton of red zone looks. That's why his home run touchdowns have been so valuable. But as Clay said, they are not consistently dependable. Fortunately, he has emerged as Bridgewater's go-to target and should see a quality amount of passes thrown his way. His reception and yardage totals should keep him in starting lineups, especially in PPR leagues.
And who knows, maybe he'll just continue to beat defenses deep and score long touchdowns. One can hope.
