Vikings in Fantasy: McNabb a Viable #2 QB, Berrian is a Sleeper

There have been numerous articles written about the Vikings prospects for Fantasy Football, and guess what, here’s one more!  I’m an avid fan of fantasy football and have been playing for many years, as well as running a league as commissioner.  What follows is my very first fan post, which is an analysis of each fantasy football position, and who on the Vikings squad is start-able/roster-able for the 2011 season.  There are only 3 players worth starting on offense, but there are several Vikings players worth having on your fantasy roster.  Read the analysis after the jump.

Quarterback: Many rankings have Donovan McNabb outside the top 20, making him barely draft-able in standard 10-team leagues.  I think this is underestimating what he will do this season.  He may not be startable during the first few weeks of the season while he continues to get familiar with the playbook, but a weekly stat line of 225 yards and 2 TDs later in the season is very reasonable.  This is the kind of stat line Matt Ryan put up with Bill Musgrave in Atlanta, and I expect McNabb to put up similar numbers and be a reliable #2 QB in most leagues.  This makes him a more-than-capable bye week fill-in. There is plenty of upside to like with the long bomb to speedsters Berrian and Harvin.

Running back: Obviously, you’re drafting Adrian Peterson in the first round.  He has been one of the most reliable RB during his career and hasn’t missed any significant time…could this be the year he does?  Toby Gerhart is worth picking up to stash on your bench and handcuff Peterson.  Toby has looked improved this Preseason, and I think he’ll be a capable fill-in if the unthinkable happens and Peterson misses any time.  I wouldn't draft Booker, unless you're in a super deep league that rewards return yards.

Wide Receiver: The only real starter of the bunch is Percy Harvin, and I have him as a solid #2 option.  He’ll be the #1 guy on the Vikings at the end of the year, but compared to other elite options across the league, he won’t put up monster numbers.  80 yards and a score would be a great day for Harvin, and he always has the possibility for some rushing yards and return yards, so he has more value in leagues that reward return yards.  I like Bernard Berrian as a late-round flyer in drafts and think he’s worth stashing on the bench as a sleeper.   There is so much potential there for he and McNabb to hook up on a couple long bombs each game, that if they get going, he turns into a sneaky flex play.  Until I see something out of Michael Jenkins, I wouldn’t bother with a roster space except in very deep leagues with 3 or more WR.  Nobody else is worth utilizing.

Tight End: This is where it gets interesting.  We all know McNabb loves throwing to the tight end, and I think Visanthe Shiancoe could see a return to his massive 2009 numbers.  Most analysts have Shiancoe out of the top 20, which is ridiculous, especially considering he's in a contract year.  There are some concerns though: how much will Kyle Rudolph steal away, and how healthy is his hamstring?  We haven’t seen Shiancoe in the Preseason, and he hasn’t gotten a lot of work with McNabb yet.  But that doesn’t make him un-roster-able.  For the time being, I see Shiancoe as a #2 TE with starter potential down the line.  Kyle Rudolph is an enigma at this point.  He looked great in the Preseason, but I would expect Shiancoe to take over most of the kind of looks Rudolph got.  I wouldn’t roster Rudolph, but he should be on the radar, especially if Shiancoe’s hamstring injury lingers, or becomes more serious.  In that case, Rudolph would become borderline starter material in my opinion.

Defense/Special Teams: I think the days of the Vikings D/ST as an elite fantasy start are over.  I wouldn’t roster them, except maybe in the case of a bye-week fill in if the matchup is favorable.  Jared Allen can still get you some sacks, and Sherels/Booker/Harvin as return men have a lot of upside for some scores.  But this secondary won’t pull down a lot of interceptions, and without the Williams Wall, they won’t be the dominate run-stuffers and smothering defense they used to be.

Kicker: Ryan Longwell is as consistent a kicker as there is, on the field.  Unfortunately, the kicker position in fantasy is the least consistent, and it is next to impossible to predict who will be the stars in any given year.  I think the Vikings offense will be capable enough of moving the ball, but not effective enough in the red zone, which should put Longwell in position to put up major points.  With his consistency and accuracy on the field, I would roster Longwell and have faith he’ll put up respectable top 10 numbers by the end of the season.

Individual Defensive Players: There are only two players on the defense who are going to put up consistent enough tackles and sacks to be worth rostering: Chad Greenway and Jared Allen.  Both are beasts, and Greenway should have another great tackle total.

To summarize, I think there are only 3 offensive fantasy starters on the Vikings this year: Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and Ryan Longwell.  Those are the obvious choices, but I think there are plenty of other Vikings worth drafting and keeping on the roster as backups, handcuffs or sleepers: Donovan McNabb, Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe and Toby Gerhardt.  Keep Kyle Rudolph on your radar though, especially in keeper leagues, because he's the future of the TE position in Minnesota.