With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet The ...
Dude we're sick of seeing on the cover of all the magazines. Well, that is until we land the first pick in our fantasy drafts. Adrian Peterson comes in as the entirely unanimous No. 1 in every league known to man. Unless you have a huge homer crush on Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew or Matt Forte, Peterson is the best fantasy player in the game. But of course he could get injured, something he is known to do ...
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The Vikings are blessed with such a crappy division that every year folks claim that if they could just find that last remaining piece to the puzzle, they would be Super Bowl contenders. The funny thing is that the Vikings are, lest you forget, part of the NFC North. That means they suffer the wrath of the chronically awful quarterback. Nobody knows why, but for some mysterious reason (actually we're pretty sure it's the ugly chicks), the teams of the NFC North -- with the rare exception of the Green Bay Packers -- lean toward horrible quarterbacks. Favre Schmarve. This year is no different. The Vikings probably won't have a good quarterback and they probably won't win a Super Bowl.
The Breakout
I'll spare you the obviousness. We all know that burritos are delicious and we also know that Adrian Peterson will have a big year for fantasy owners. He is the No. 1 pick after all, and you can't move up from No. 1. It's mathematically impossible. Breakouts should outperform expectations.
So the breakout to watch for this season is actually tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. Remember about four seasons ago when the better fantasy players started picking up T.J. Houshmandzadeh (especially in leagues scoring return yards and TDs) and everybody else just made fun of the name? Likewise, this should be the year we learn to spell Visanthe Shiancoe (unless you already know how from Googling his dong). Shiancoe showed signs of greatness last season when he caught 42 passes for almost 600 yards and 7 TDs. If he improves even modestly upon those numbers, Shiancoe should elevate to elite TE status. While this will be his seventh season, it's only his third with Minnesota and his numbers are on the upswing since his arrival in the Twin Cities.
The Bust
We mentioned the NFC North teams and their perpetual habit of trying to plug mediocre backups into starting quarterback roles, while convincing themselves they found their guy. Well, Sage Rosenfels may be the next in that long line. Rosenfels is decent, but nothing if not inconsistent. In 2008, he got his opportunity to shine when Matt Schaub went down in Houston and the tossed six touchdowns to go with his 10 interceptions and 239 yards per game. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. He might be an upgrade from Tarvaris Jackson, but not by much. The Vikings have not yet named a starter between Rosenfels and Jackson and also continue to bumble with the Favre possibility, only adding to the uncertainty.
The Depth Chart
QB1 - Sage Rosenfels (or Tarvaris Jackson or Brett Favre)
QB2 - Tarvaris Jackson
RB1 - Adrian Peterson
RB2 - Chester Taylor
WR1 - Bernard Berrian
WR2 - Bobby Wade
WR3 - Sidney Rice
WR4 - Percy Harvin
TE1 - Visanthe Shiancoe
TE2 - Jimmy Kleinsasser
K - Ryan Longwell
The D/ST
On paper the Vikings might have the best defense in the league. They have the best defensive lineman in Jared Allen and one of the elite front fours in the NFL. Over the course of the past three years, the Vikes have scored 11, 9, and 11 defensive touchdowns respectively. Obviously, that translates to big-time fantasy points. The only problem with the unit is that despite the sacks and teeders, they lack somewhat in the turnover department for an elite defense. Last season, the Purple only intercepted 12 passes (just six teams picked off less). Given the pressure up front though, one would naturally assume this number should rise, so consider the Vikings a top-five defense. Just don't jump on them too early. Finally, in terms of special teams -- beware of Percy Harvin. He's lethal.
The Skinny
- Probably the most important fantasy advice I can give you with regard to Minnesota is steal Chester Taylor before Peterson's owner gets him. Not only will you strike fear directly into the heart of your opponent, but you'll get trade bait and a great backup. In 2008, Taylor's numbers were down and he still nabbed 800 all-purpose yards and six TDs. In 2007, he cracked 1,100 all-purpose and scored seven times. Plus, keep in mind Peterson has only stayed healthy a complete season just once since he began college (last season). Should Peterson go down, you're sitting on a diamond mine.
- Are you holding your breath for the big news as to whether or not Favre will play in 2009? Me either. In reality, he'd be a nice bonus for Minnesota, but as a fantasy player it really doesn't make much difference. Favre is not really fantasy-relevant, and other than Shiancoe and a long shot for Harvin, this receiving corps is pretty uninteresting. Berrian provides a solid deep threat and Wade makes for a fine 15th-rounder or waiver-wire pickup when your team falls apart due to injuries, but neither will even be a great start for fantasy purposes.
- A lot of folks are predicting bust city for Percy Harvin. Well, beyond what we mentioned about him above as a kick and punt return threat, Harvin has been lining up in the "Wildcat" formation, in the backfield, and in the slot. So clearly the Vikings are thinking creatively about how to get him the ball. Plus, the NFL is a herd-following league. With game-breaking lilliputians like Steve Slaton and Devin Hester paving the way for a more optimistic viewpoint on explosive smaller players, expect the Vikings to try to follow suit with Harvin.
- If kicker Ryan Longwell is available in the 16th round, he should make a good fantasy kicker again this season. He went 6-for-6 beyond fifty yards last season, so his 34-year-old chassis shouldn't be a concern.
