Your Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football Outlook

As I mentioned earlier on today, fantasy football time is on us once again, folks. We know that you're getting prepared for your draft, and the folks from Buffalo Wild Wings have asked us for a bit of an outlook on the Minnesota Vikings' fantasy prospects this upcoming season. So, with that in mind, I've got a few of the Vikings you need to keep an eye out for in your fantasy draft this year.

The "Duh" Pick - Adrian Peterson, RB

-Yeah, like this needs explaining. There's no reason for this man to fall past #2 in any fantasy draft, regardless of format.

The next best Vikings fantasy option - Kyle Rudolph, TE

-Having a good tight end in fantasy football can be like having a one-man advantage over your opponent. There are a few "sure things" out there at the tight end position, but most of them are probably going to go earlier than they should. Rudolph is a guy that you can probably get in the mid-rounds somewhere, and he should make a pretty sizable impact on your squad. He was second in the league in touchdown catches for tight ends in 2012, and is the Vikings' most proven red zone option. He's also the default option for Christian Ponder when things break down, which helps his value.

The wild card - Christian Ponder, QB

-He's only been in the league for two years, but Ponder's career has already been declared dead more times than Jason Voorhees. To say that he had an up-and-down year in 2012 would be a huge understatement, but the Vikings have gotten him some more weapons in receivers Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson. If Ponder can find some measure of consistency this season, he could make for a decent bye week option behind center. Should you be drafting him as your top quarterback? Heck, no. . .but there are probably teams in your league that have worse back-up options already.

The kicker - Blair Walsh, K

-There's no reason for you to draft a kicker before the final round of your draft. Inevitably, someone will take a kicker way before that, but if you get to that final round and Walsh is still on the board, jump on him. He still kicks over half his games indoors, and he showed that he can get it done from anywhere on the field. He's going to be adjusting to a new holder this year, but I'm guessing that won't throw him off too much.

The keeper option - Cordarrelle Patterson, WR

-If you get into a keeper league, the Vikings' best long-term option is the rookie wide receiver out of Tennessee. Everyone expected that he would make an impact in the return game almost immediately, and he should, but he's already a bit further along as a receiver than the team expected him to be as well. He has all the physical tools to be an elite receiver at the National Football League level, but might take him a season or two to fully develop. If you can stash him away for a while, he will likely pay huge dividends down the track.

Which Vikings are you keeping an eye on in your fantasy drafts this year, folks?