Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell has a new weapon on offense and he plans to use it. 

The Vikings traded for Cam Akers last month. Akers, a former second-round pick, needed a change of scenery after falling out of favor with the Los Angeles Rams. The back saw his first action as a Viking in Week 4 against the Panthers, and O'Connell liked what he saw. 

O'Connell made it known in Wednesday's presser that we will be seeing more of Akers.

Against the Panthers, Akers received five carries which he took for 40 yards, averaging eight yards a pop. 

On Wednesday, O'Connell was for his thoughts on how his running backs handled the Week 4 contest.  

"Yeah, I just thought Alex got off to a great start in the game. Then, when Cam was able to come in on predetermined drives, what that did was keep Alex really fresh," O'Connell explained. 

The coach was also asked if he plans on using the backs in a similar fashion going forward. 

 "Yeah, I just thought both of them – the way Mod [Curtis Modkins] kind of rotated them – and I still like the idea of getting Ty [Chandler] some touches." 

Through the first three games of the season, Mattison was the workhorse back. Mattison received 39 carries during that stretch, while Chandler received just seven. It certainly appears the days of Mattison getting 95%+ of carries are over with Akers on the roster. 

The Vikings are still near the bottom of the league in rushing, averaging just 83.5 yards per game. It's likely O'Connell will get Akers and Chandler more and more involved until the ground game really gets going. 

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