After leading the NFL in rushing yards months after tearing his ACL, Adrian Peterson confirmed his cyborg status among the gladiators of the NFL. Peterson has averaged at least 100 yards from scrimmage per game in each of his seven seasons. This year marks the addition of Norv Turner and optimism that Peterson exceeds his career-high 43 receptions to round out his production. But what if Adrian Peterson were lost to a season-ending injury?
The Vikings have been Adrian Peterson-centric since drafting the generational talent in 2007. The team has finished in the bottom-10 in passing yards in each season outside of the Brett Favre renaissance year of 2009. The emergence of Cordarrelle Patterson, the steadiness of Greg Jennings, and the potential of Teddy Bridgewater gives the Minnesota passing game more hope than recent seasons.
Matt Asiata would be the stopgap option at running back depending on the development of rookie Jerick McKinnon along the way. Asiata has two NFL games with more than two carries under his belt, both late in 2013. One was the historically rare stat line of 30 carries, 51 yards, and three touchdowns; the other a more efficient 14-115-0 effort.
Jerick McKinnon is the higher-upside athletic option that played a variety of positions in college; he has enough potential that Minnesota drafted him in the top-100. The offseason news has been of Jerick McKinnon being a pass-catching option at a minimum and impressed Adrian Peterson. Neither Matt Asiata nor Adrian Peterson has been a strong receiving option to-date in the NFL.
Buy
QB Teddy Bridgewater – The Vikings will have a run-base on offense as long as Adrian Peterson is around. Without the elite back, the offense will have to open up. As a result, Bridgewater becomes a more attractive QB2 in fantasy.
WR Greg Jennings – With a boost in overall passing game volume, Jennings would see the biggest boost of the receivers. Cordarrelle Patterson would garner any extra defenders, leaving Jennings to roam free against secondary coverage. Widely viewed as a flex play prior to Peterson’s injury, Jennings would move to weekly WR3 status.
TE Kyle Rudolph - Without Adrian Peterson to monopolize the goal line work, Rudolph sees a touchdown uptick as one of the better red zone tight ends in the NFL. Kyle Rudolph moves from committee tight end into weekly starter status.
Hold
WR Cordarrelle Patterson – The second-year receiver is already a high-valued fantasy acquisition. The expectations are sky-high. If anything, defenses will be able to keep a safety over the top of the speedy Patterson without Adrian Peterson in the lineup. The added attention would lead to a lower efficiency per target, but without a steady ground game, his targets are likely to increase as a trade-off.
Sell
RB Matt Asiata – The fullback-like runner would see a significant boost in market value in the fantasy community as the initial fill-in. Asiata’s upside is rather low outside of a high-volume of goal line opportunities, making him a risky weekly starter. Selling on the news, ensures a profit and fills another starting lineup need with a more established or higher-upside option.
Add
RB Jerick McKinnon – While Matt Asiata would get the immediate value bump without Adrian Peterson on the field, McKinnon is the upside wildcard. Asiata is the steady option, while McKinnon’s development along the way would decide his share of the running back touches. McKinnon has the big play ability to turn a weekly fantasy matchup with a single touch and would be the sneaky add at the time of Peterson’s injury.
WR Jarius Wright – With an offense moving away from a stud running back, the third receiver would gain exposure. Wright is a better pure deep threat than Greg Jennings and has similar traits to Donnie Avery and Aldrick Robinson as a prospect. Wright would move to into flex territory for owners looking for an upside kick in deeper leagues.