Stock Up, Stock Down: 5 Players Impacted by First Vikings Preseason Game

Minnesota Vikings preseason football officially kicked off Saturday as they headed out east to face off against the New York Giants.

While the 13-10 victory may not have any impact on the team itself, it could play a factor it who makes the final 53-man roster at the end of the summer. Here are five players who may have seen significant impacts to their stock during this afternoon’s game.

Stock Up: S Jay Ward

With Harrison Smith no longer in Minnesota and looking more and more by the day that he won’t be suiting up in a Vikings uniform this year, the team needs a player to step up as a starting caliber player at the safety position.

Jay Ward is the most obvious choice to fill that role, and in Saturday’s game, he showed his versatility on the defensive side of the ball by picking up a sack of Jaxson Dart to end the first quarter while the Giants were trying to put together a drive.

Stock Down: RB Zavier Scott

While Demond Claiborne made a strong impact out of the backfield, Zavier Scott did not have as much success against the Giants.

Scott had two carries for just six yards, and while Claiborne’s box score won’t jump out at anyone with 12 carries for 34 yards, his explosiveness out of the backfield was apparent with multiple runs being a block away from being broken for big gains.

The RB3 spot is going to be the saving grace for Scott to make the final roster, but for now, he hasn’t jumped off the page.

Stock Up: OLB Dallas Turner

Dallas Turner didn’t play a ton on Saturday, but when he was on the field, he was impactful. That’s all that matters at this point.

On the first defensive drive of the game, Turner found his way into the backfield on third down and brought down Dart for a seven-yard loss to force a punt. These are the types of plays that the Vikings are going to need from the third-year pass rusher this season.

Stock Down: QB J.J. McCarthy

J.J. McCarthy wasn’t necessarily bad on Saturday, but a lot of the same flaws that were seen last year are still apparent. He doesn’t seem particularly confident in the pocket right now, and Carson Wentz certainly outperformed him on Saturday.

This will be a big week for the young QB as the Vikings will be hosting joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens before their second preseason game. This upcoming week could very well decide if he is the QB2 or the emergency QB3 heading into the year.

Stock Up: WR Myles Price

Myles Price was the big winner on Saturday, catching the sole touchdown for the Vikings to seal their 13-10 victory.

Price already has value for the team has a special teamer, but his four catches for 51 yards, including a 28-yarder, and the score will certainly boost the coaching staff’s confidence in trusting him on the offensive side of the ball.

With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Tai Felton, and Jauan Jennings on the roster, Price has almost certainly locked up the WR5 spot.

Editor’s Note: Statistics from ESPN helped with this article.