Fitting that the Minnesota Vikings are next on the list. Full disclosure, I was not as high on the Vikings as others, but all bets are off after yesterday’s injury to Teddy Bridgewater. So rather than review the entire team, we will focus on what the Vikings lost, and who can replace him.
Why Bridgewater’s injury hurts Minnesota won the NFC North last season, and Bridgewater was a calming force under center. He only threw fourteen touchdown passes, but he did enough to keep defenses honest. He grasped Mike Zimmer’s offense. He kept the chains moving when they had to move. He had the Vikings positioned to win in the playoffs last year, only to have Blair Walsh shank a 27 yard attempt.
Why Bridgewater’s injury doesn’t matter He threw 14 touchdown passes last season. 26th in the league. He averaged less than one per game. In theory, that kind of production can be found anywhere. He also was sacked on 9% of his dropbacks, third worst in the league last season. This entire team is built behind Adrian Peterson, who is healthy and ready to run.
So who’s out there? Shaun Hill is who the Vikes are turning to as of today. Hill is 35, and has 30 career touchdown passes. He has started 34 games in his ten year career, going 16-18 in that span. His best season was in 2010, when he started 10 games after Matt Stafford was injured and he threw for almost 3,000 yards. In this offense, Hill will take the snap, turn, and hand the ball to Adrian Peterson. If Hill falters, the following players have been rumored.
Geno Smith- The Jets would love to get rid of him, but he hasn’t shown much
Mark Sanchez- Ditto here, he should be released by Denver later this week
Colin Kaepernick- Even without the current drama, Kap has been a non-factor for three seasons now
Any other name mentioned will have the same drawbacks as the quarterbacks above. So this entire season will hinge on how dominant the defense is, and how well Adrian Peterson plays.
Fantasy Focus There are two schools of thought when it comes to Adrian Peterson. Thought 1 is that he’s the only person on the offense who will do anything, so he’s worth the first round pick. Thought 2 is that the quarterback will be so anemic, Peterson will be facing 8 or 9 man fronts all season long. A case can be made for either thought. I subscribe to thought two, which is why I recommend taking a flier on Jerick McKinnon. Peterson isn’t much of a pass catcher, and any quarterback in this offense will need the security blanket of a Running Back. No receiver in Minnesota is worth starting, they are barely worth rostering.
Prediction The offense was going to be mediocre even with Bridgewater, and now the offense is going to be bad. I expect a deep drop for the Vikings this season. 6-10