5 Fantasy Football Implications Stemming From Tuesday's Crazy Injury News

Adrian Peterson Is Now Much Riskier

As we discussed earlier today on numberFire, the Minnesota Vikings can still make the playoffs without Bridgewater. Shaun Hill has proven to be a competent back-up in the past, and the team's projections weren't relying on a hyper-efficient passing game. There's still always going to be some worry when a run-first running back loses his starting signal caller.

In 16 games last season, Adrian Peterson only saw more than three targets in three of his games, and only once did he eclipse five. Clearly, his main focus within the offense is running the football, as it should be. With Jerick McKinnon on the roster, the Vikings have a back they can confidently use when they need to pass. That becomes an issue when the team faces the possibility of seeing additional negative game script.

If the team is trailing in the fourth quarter, they're not going to be able to lean upon Peterson's beastly legs. Instead, they'll have to turn to McKinnon and the passing game, limiting the volume you can get out of Peterson. If that happens in half of the team's games, then you're severely capping things, adding a ton of risk into Peterson's fantasy outlook.

This doesn't mean you should simply not draft Peterson. It just means you're inheriting a bunch of risk, and that's not necessarily something you want out of your first-round pick. If he were to fall far enough, Peterson's still a monster, but he may not be worthy of the high cost of a first rounder right now.