Breaking Down the Impact of Dalvin Cook's Shoulder Surgery

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook underwent left shoulder surgery Tuesday morning to fix an injured labrum that caused him to play a majority of the 2022 season with a harness.

Takeaways from the Pro Football Docs

• This is Cook’s third surgery on his left shoulder, he underwent surgery to repair his left front labrum in high school (prior to 2014) and had surgery to the back of his labrum in 2016.

• The surgery could help Cook maintain a role as a three-down back, as he will be able to pass protect more effectively when fully recovered from the shoulder surgery.

• The 27-year-old running back projects to be fully healthy well before the start of training camp in late July.

Dalvin Cook Fantasy Outlook

Cook and the Vikings have an interesting offseason ahead of them and it’s not a guarantee he will remain with the team heading into next season.

Minnesota will reportedly consider moving Cook via trade or release him, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

The four-time Pro Bowler has the fourth-largest contract among running backs and is set to make $10.4 million in base salary next year with a cap hit of $14.1 million.

He has three years left on his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026, when he will be 31.

Cook has played 58 of 66 games since 2019 with four Pro Bowl selections, racking up four straight seasons of over 1,000 rushing yards. However, he has 16 fumbles and 11 lost fumbles in that four-year stretch (tied for the most in the league in that span.)

This shoulder surgery should make shoulder dislocations/subluxations harder on the left side and reduce fumbles because of injury. 

Cook is the #17 running back in the FantasyPros expert consensus dynasty rankings, among names like Derrick Henry, Dameon Pierce and J.K. Dobbins.

He averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game last season in half-point PPR, with 5 weeks finishing as an RB1.

Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl LVIII Odds

The Vikings (13-4 in 2022) are +4000 to win Super Bowl LVIII, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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