Fantasy Fallout: Minnesota Vikings Preseason Week Two
Week one of preseason football for the Minnesota Vikings is already in the books. Week two came and went, but it’s effects on fantasy draft boards are only beginning to take shape. It was a surprising week as Mike Zimmer unexpectedly benched starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, only minutes before kickoff — whether it was for shoulder soreness or to protect the Vikings third-year investment, after a weak performance from offensive line in week one.
Shaun Hill stepped in and delivered a more than serviceable performance. The true star of the game were the defenses in this one. Both the Vikings’ and Seahawks’ defenses shined and proved to be difficult to overcome for both offenses. It was fitting then, that the game’s deciding play was turned in by the Vikings’ defense in an 18-11 victory.
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Week two saw the fantasy value of some players get a bump while others saw the confidence of their owners rattled. Midway through the preseason some players are still working on ironing out the creases while others are blossoming into regular season form.
Deciding who to draft this time of year can prove to be an extra difficult challenge with players peaking at different rates. It is best not to overreact too strongly to either a poor or solid performance. Selecting players by using caution and exercising patience, with an emphasis on past production and future projections, has shown to be a far more successful strategy. This last week is no different when evaluating the performance of the Vikings against the Seahawks.
Teddy Bridgewater
Expected to start, Bridgewater took a seat at the behest of Zimmer and watched this one from the sidelines. With reports of shoulder soreness, some fantasy owners may decide to shy away from him in the draft. The injury does not appear to be of any major concern for the Vikings as his status for the regular season opener, is in little doubt.
Bridgewater’s ADP (average draft position) should remain largely unchanged after sitting-out last Thursday’s preseason contest. It might take a slight hit and drop him a couple of positions as those who overreact respond. With little more to evaluate him on, Bridgewater’s draft value should not be affected as the QB21.
Adrian Peterson
As expected, Peterson was merely more than a spectator in this one. It is doubtful he will see a single snap in the preseason. If he does, his best chance will come in week three against the San Diego Chargers. Sitting out the preseason has not hurt Peterson’s fantasy value with owners in the past. His ADP should remain mostly unchanged throughout the preseason. Peterson is a top-overall pick.
Jerick McKinnon
With Peterson on the shelf, McKinnon drew the start again. It was a slow day for him on the ground against Seattle’s stout run defense. He totaled just 15 yards on nine carries, for a 1.7 yards per carry average. It wasn’t all bad for McKinnon who scored the Vikings’ lone offensive touchdown, late in the second quarter, on a one-yard run. Minnesota’s backups fared a little better and were able to find more open running room against the Seahawks.
McKinnon’s ADP probably didn’t suffer too much from this performance, being entrenched as the team’s backup. His overall draft position of 143, probably isn’t going to be affected much. McKinnon’s value as a handcuff to Peterson remains one of his biggest selling points to fantasy owners. They should not let last Thursday’s game dissuade them as he was going up against one of the league’s premier run-stopping units. He’s still a viable fantasy option and one of the best handcuffs to own.
Stefon Diggs
Diggs was hardly considered more than present in this one. He collected one reception for just three yards. Diggs has struggled to find production this preseason. He now has two receptions for an uninspiring 11 yards, through two games. It is important to note that Diggs has only played a limited number of reps while he continues to work with the first-team offense. It makes it difficult then for owners to project what level of production he will have during the regular season, especially with Bridgewater absent.
Diggs’ draft value has taken a small hit, as his ADP now sits at 105 overall. A strong week three performance could raise his ADP a few points in the opposite direction. Diggs is a talented young playmaker with an ability to impact the game at a high level. His ceiling is much higher than his ADP would suggest.
Charles Johnson
After a strong week one performance, Johnson had a quiet week two and was held without a catch on one target. The boom or bust potential could be a very real expectation for Johnson into the regular season. His fantasy value remained mostly the same as owners have bought into his production. Even with his week one resurgence, he is yet still grossly undervalued with a 225th overall ADP.
Laquon Treadwell
Treadwell was not able to come down with a single reception, despite being targeted four times. It’s nice to see him so active and involved in the team’s passing game. In two preseason games he has accumulated four receptions on nine targets for 41 yards. Receiving as much attention as he has, the Vikings appear determined to make their 2016 first-round-pick a focal point in their offense. This bodes well for Treadwell’s future production and his fantasy owners.
Though he is not likely to start at the wideout position to open the season, with his size and physicality, he should still see the field plenty and get an opportunity to prove why he was the 23rd overall selection. Currently being taken late in drafts, if at all, the amount of attention he is being given in the offense should see his ADP trending upward.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Patterson finally saw the field for the first time this preseason, after being held out week one against the Cincinnati Bengals, due to injury. He impressed coaches this offseason with his work ethic and determination to be better in 2016, earning the praise of Zimmer. Versus the Seahawks last week, Patterson recorded two grabs on two targets for 17 yards.
Though it wasn’t much, it was a good start for Patterson who worked hard to get open and earned his two receptions. All of the effort he put into the offseason looks to have paid off. Currently not even on draft boards, the only direction for Patterson’s ADP is to go up.
Adam Thielen
If Thielen continues to explode in preseason his sleeper tag won’t apply much longer. Against Seattle’s Legion of Boom — one of the NFL’s top secondary units — he proved to be no match for them and came down with four receptions on six targets for 61 yards. Nobody has worked harder to earn their spot on the team than Thielen, who continues to rise up the depth chart.
As a division II product out of the University of Minnesota Mankato, he was not given much chance to succeed, but since joining the team, Thielen has far exceeded expectations. Still, he has not been given any draft value beyond the deepest of fantasy leagues. Thielen makes for a great late round flier or candidate for watch lists. If preseason figures to be any indicator, Thielen could be well on his way to having a breakout year and becoming fantasy relevant.
Kyle Rudolph
Rudolph finally found the box score this preseason, showing up with two catches on three targets for 54 yards. Only playing for half of the game, that is the kind of production the Vikings have been hoping to see from him at the tight end position. The only caveat is that Hill was in at quarterback. Last week, with Bridgewater starting, Rudolph saw only one target and was not able to come down with it.
As of now, Rudolph has been going in the late rounds of drafts. Finding the end zone and establishing himself as a red zone target will do well to increasing his fantasy value. If the Vikings offense continues to show signs of improvement, Rudolph could be a steal in the later rounds of the draft.
Defense and Special Teams
The Vikings’ defense put together another solid defensive performance, this time against Seattle. They recorded six sacks as a team, four of them coming against Russell Wilson in the first half. Marcus Sherels capped it off with a 57-yard interception returned for a touchdown. With 1:23 left in the fourth, he picked off a pass from Trevone Boykin for the game winning score. While they struggled against the run at times, Minnesota’s defense held the Seahawks’ offense in check on the whole.
With performances like this, there is no doubt that the Vikings will have finished as one of the top defensive and special teams groups in fantasy. They are getting production at all levels, from all levels. With the talent and depth of the Vikings’ defense, they could be one of the premier defenses in the league and should be among the top-five at their position for fantasy purposes.
Blair Walsh
After his performance in week one — he was perfect on his lone field goal attempt and two extra points made — Walsh left fantasy owners feeling confident that he had rebounded from his struggles last year. His performance in week two may have left them preemptively searching the waiver wire for kickers. In the matchup against Seattle, Walsh was one for two on field goal attempts and connected on his only extra point.
Breathing a sigh of relief after Walsh hit a 27-yard field goal — the same distance he missed from in last year’s playoff game — Vikings’ fans felt comfortable when he came out to try from 47-yards to win the game. Irony did not smile kindly on Walsh. He missed wide-left with 2:09 to go in the fourth.
The miss hurt Walsh’s already shaky draft value. Ranked in the top-ten at his position, he might find himself off draft boards after the miss. If Walsh is unable to keep the ball through the uprights the remainder of this preseason, he may not be fantasy relevant again until the first week of byes.
Fallout
The fantasy world tends to be very reactionary, responding to every update in a 24/7 news cycle. It couldn’t be more apparent than during the ever-changing world of preseason. It is a week-to-week life, where players can go from being on top to being on bottom, or the other way around, in an instant. For fantasy owners it can be a difficult landscape to navigate.
Exercising patience and caution during this time of chaos and confusion, can lead to rewarding results during the season. Before reacting too strongly, let rosters play themselves out. Roles are still being carved out and defined; amount of playing time is still being determined.
It is nearly impossible to predict a player’s fantasy value and the kind of impact they will make this year. Jumping to conclusions can have dire impacts on a fantasy owner’s season, causing undue harm. Remember, once a move is made, it is impossible to take it back.
– Miles Dittberner, is a Managing Editor at cover32 and covers the Minnesota Vikings. Like and follow vikings32 on Facebook and Twitter.
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