FOX Sports North Midweek Stock Report for Dec. 30

By foxsports
Published

Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.

In other words, who is making a meteoric rise, like Wolves phenom Karl-Anthony Towns, and who is plummeting -- like Kevin Love's 2015-16 shooting percentage.

With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in Minnesota, shall we?

Jerick McKinnon, Vikings RB

All of a sudden, the Purple and Gold possess two dangerous running backs. While Adrian Peterson is apparently on his way to another NFL rushing title, his 23-year-old backup is starting to make a name for himself. McKinnon has three touchdowns over the past two games, which contributed to a pair of blowout wins. In Sunday's 49-17 rout of the Giants, McKinnon had 89 rushing yards on just seven carries, to go along with the first two rushing TDs of his pro career. The Georgia Southern product's late, 68-yard scoring sprint provided a fitting punctuation for Sunday's Vikings win.

KJ Maye, Gophers WR

Maye ended his college career in style Monday, as he helped lead the Gophers football squad past Central Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl. In Minnesota's 21-14 win, the senior looked like a prototypical slot receiver, reeling in a game-high eight receptions for 67 yards, a touchdown and a late two-point conversion. Maye might stand just 5-foot-9, but with 4.42 speed in the 40-yard dash and an immeasurable amount of grit, he may have a future in the pro ranks. In any event, he left his mark at Minnesota in 2015, registering 73 total receptions.

The Vikings' defense

They haven't quite reached Purple People Eaters status, but Minnesota's defensive players have emerged as the 2015 campaign has progressed. In Sunday's thorough domination of New York, Minnesota limited Eli Manning to a 0.7 QBR and recorded three interceptions, four sacks, six tackles for loss, seven passes defensed and eight QB hits. The Vikings' defense also held the Giants to 10 points until a garbage-time touchdown; New York had entered the night averaging 26.6 points per contest.

Kevin Martin, Wolves SG

For whatever reason, the veteran shooting guard appears to have fallen out of favor with Sam Mitchell's coaching staff. Martin, whom some believe could be trade bait in the coming weeks, didn't even play in Saturday's 14-point home loss to Indiana, or in Monday's six-point road loss at San Antonio. After getting saddled with "DNPs" on those nights, Martin's season averages were much lower than his typical career marks, virtually across the board. Martin is averaging 12.1 points per game in 2015-16, while his career average is 17.8. The 32-year-old is also shooting just 36.7 percent, down from his career percentage of 43.8.

Gophers men's basketball

Richard Pitino's program is sliding perilously close to irrelevance on the Minnesota sports scene. After enduring a 74-65 loss to Milwaukee in its last outing, Minnesota had dropped to the .500 mark, at 6-6. The Gophers also have three home losses already in 2015-16. Entering Wednesday's Big Ten opener at Ohio State, Minnesota has been getting outrebounded, 38.9-36.8, on average. But here's the ugliest stat: the Gophers are drawing just 10,192 fans per game at Williams Arena, which has a capacity of 14,625.

Gorgui Dieng, Wolves C

The Wolves' 25-year-old big man his hit an icy stretch with regard to his shooting. Dieng went 3 for 9 from the field for eight points in Monday's loss at San Antonio, for example. And, in Saturday's home loss to Indiana, the 6-11 center went just 2 for 8 en route to a seven-point night. Dieng is still shooting a very solid 53.2 percent in 2015-16, however. The backup big man is averaging 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds this season. It'll be interesting to see how the Louisville alum is used when veteran Nikola Pekovic returns from his lengthy injury rehab.

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