Should You Start Alexander Mattison in Fantasy Football Week 5? Updated Rankings With Dalvin Cook Out for Vikings

Dalvin Cook is inactive for the Minnesota Vikings' Week 5 game against the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings starting running back had previously been questionable all week with an ankle injury. He was a limited participant in practice Friday after missing the previous two days.

Cook reportedly tried warming up ahead of Sunday's game, but apparently ultimately decided that he was not healthy enough to give it a go.

After a consensus top-three pick in fantasy football drafts this season Cook is a key piece to fantasy lineups, so our experts analyzed how his absence would affect the Vikings' offense heading forward.

Alexander Mattison Fantasy Football Ranking

With Cook now out on Sunday, Mattison has rocketed up to the sixth-ranked running back per The Action Network's Sean Koerner's updated Week 5 fantasy football rankings.

Mattison, who has tallied 40 carries behind Cook's 51 this season, draws a Lions defense ranking dead last in the NFL in Explosive Rush rate allowed (18%).

He had his best game in Week 3 against the Seahawks, churning out 112 yards on 26 carries in a 30-17 win.

Mattison's been reliable in the backfield, seeing at least 13 games each of the last two full seasons. He registered a season-high 21 carries in the 2020 finale against the Lions, notching 95 yards and one score.

Minnesota is currently a 10-point favorite against Detroit at DraftKings, which marks the second-largest spread in Week 5.

The total, meanwhile, is 49.

Fifty-two percent of bettors are laying the points with Minnesota ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, while the over has landed 60% of bets on the Vikings vs. Lions total.