Ronnie Hillman, Matt Asiata's Fantasy Outlook After Jerick McKinnon's Injury

Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon will not play in Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Saturday. 

McKinnon had 68 carries for 217 yards and a touchdown this season. Now, Matt Asiata should serve as the Vikings' primary runner with McKinnon out with recent signee Ronnie Hillman possibly getting carries as a spell option.

Here is a look at how both players should fare from a fantasy perspective.

Matt Asiata

Asiata should be the clear-cut No. 1 for the time being. He's been getting carries alongside McKinnon and has experience within the Vikings' offensive system.

Not that any of that is super promising for your fantasy team. Asiata's in his fifth NFL season, and none of them have provided worthwhile results. He was among the Vikings' replacements for Adrian Peterson in 2014, producing 570 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games. The Utah product has produced one 20-yard rush in his entire career.

By sheer volume of work, he's probably a flex play. But he's an objectively below-average running back who should lose the job to Hillman from a talent standpoint.

Ronnie Hillman

Hillman, while also not a star in the making, has a history of decent NFL success. He rushed for 873 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Denver Broncos, averages 4.1 yards per carry for his career and is still young at age 25.

While there are certainly flaws in his game, Hillman's the better of the two backs. It's just a matter of whether he knows the system well enough and has enough trust internally to get the opportunity. If he does, he might turn into an RB2 type until Peterson returns from injury.