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Fantasy Football season is officially upon us, ladies and gentlemen. Now that there is peace in the proverbial valley in the National Football League, we can start turning our thoughts towards the 2011 Fantasy Football season. As Viking fans, it might be tempting to load up your roster with as many members of the Beloved Purple as possible, but let us help you figure out which ones would be the best for you to attempt to grab.
The "Duh" Pick
Let me start out with an easy one. . .there isn't a fantasy football league in America, under any scoring system, where Adrian Peterson should still be on the board after the first two picks. Yes, it's true that the best running back in the National Football League has never been the leading fantasy scorer, according to most systems. However, according to ESPN, he is the only back to have finished in the top five at his position in each of the last four years. This year, his workload figures to be even bigger and, barring injury, he could be in for his biggest year yet. Oh, and there's that whole "contract year" thing working as of now, too.
If he stays on the field, AP should be good for around another 1,500 yards and 13-14 more touchdowns, plus whatever he manages through the air. He's never going to be Ray Rice in terms of catching passes out of the backfield or anything, but that's okay. He's still pretty good, you know.
Where Should Percy Go?We know that Percy Harvin is one of the league's most versatile players, and gives the Vikings a second guy that's capable of turning a short play into a big one in a hurry. But where would be a good time in your draft to take him? Even with the departure of Sidney Rice likely meaning more targets for Harvin, he still isn't going to be a #1 receiver on most fantasy football rosters. He would, however, be a great second receiver, and would be a very nice get for somebody in about the sixth round or so. If he's there any longer than that, certainly grab him if you get the chance.
The McNabb Question
I'm slowly getting on board with the Donovan McNabb move, but he's nowhere near a #1 fantasy quarterback. I think he'll certainly upgrade the position for the Vikings from 2010, when the wheels completely came off of the Brett Favre tractor, but he's a bye week fill-in at best right now, at least until he proves he should merit consideration as more than that on the field. If you're in a 10-team league, you might even be able to pick him up off of the waiver wire. . .not sure if he'd make it there in a 12-team league, but there's a chance, I suppose.
The Super-Duper-Ultra-Mega-Deep-Damn-Near-In-A-Coma-Sleeper
People may currently be wondering whether or not he's even going to make the roster, but I'm telling you, folks. . .keep an eye on wide receiver Devin Aromashodu. You'll recall Aromashodu as the guy that torched the Vikings for 7 catches, 150 yards, and the game-winning touchdown on a Monday night at Soldier Field in 2009 in a game where the Bears defeated the Vikings in overtime. He was mentioned frequently as a guy to watch going into 2010, but after catching five passes for 71 yards in Chicago's Week 1 victory over the Detroit Lions, Aromashodu fell into Mike Martz's doghouse, and managed to only catch five more passes for 78 yards over the course of the rest of the season. He has a serious chance to stick on this team, and while nobody is going to be mistaking him for Andre Johnson any time soon, with Percy Harvin in the slot and the Vikings using a lot of two tight end sets, Aromashodu has as good a chance of sticking as the Vikings' primary outside receiving threat as anyone else the team currently employs.