Vikings Fantasy News

Calvin Johnson, Aaron Rodgers headline AP All-Pro Team
Friday, January 6, 2012, 3:18pm

Lions receiver Calvin Johnson and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen were the leading vote getters for The Associated Press 2011 NFL All-Pro Team, each falling one vote short of being unanimous choices.

Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback for the first time, easily beating New Orleans’ Drew Brees, 47½ to 2½. Rodgers led Green Bay to a league-best 15-1 record, maintaining the brilliance he showed in taking the Packers to the Super Bowl title last February.

In the All-Pro backfield joining Rodgers, whose quarterback rating of 122.5 broke Peyton Manning’s single-season mark, were Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia, and fullback Vonta Leach of Baltimore.

Record-setter Rob Gronkowski was the tight end. The Patriot set the single-season mark at his position with 1,327 yards receiving. Teammate Wes Welker (league-high 122 catches) was the other receiver.

Saturday, December 31, 2011, 3:52pm

Vikings HC Leslie Frazier: "We’ve received word that Adrian underwent successful knee surgery with Dr. James Andrews and is now resting comfortably. Adrian is in our thoughts, we wish him a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing him when he returns to Minnesota."

Coaching carousel: 10 names to keep an eye on
Saturday, December 31, 2011, 1:05pm

While many are now finished with their holiday shopping, some NFL owners are just about to get started. Beginning as soon as Sunday night, some NFL owners will be shopping for a new head coach to become the leader and the face of their franchise. Here are 10 names, in alphabetical order, that are likely to be on many of the shopping lists:

Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen: Players consider him to be calm and charismatic, and it helps that he has learned from Saints head coach Sean Payton and Broncos head coach John Fox.

Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable: The Raiders have had a habit of watching some of their former head coaches, like Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, find success elsewhere, and Cable could do the same.

Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski: Carolina knows how in demand Chudzinski will be and will make it as tough as possible for him to the leave the Panthers.

Packers assistant head coach Winston Moss: An intense former player and current coach who has learned from some of the finest in the Raiders and Packers organizations.

Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey: After helping mold Matt Ryan into the quarterback he is, Mularkey's name has been whispered for a while now in Jacksonville.

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer: New York might be struggling, but its red-zone offense is not, and Schottenheimer has the right pedigree and résumé to become a successful head coach.

Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman: A sleeper, off-the-chart candidate who might be able to build a champion just as he has done in the Canadian Football League.

Chargers assistant head coach Steve Wilks: His work in San Diego quietly has begun to get recognition around the league.

Vikings defensive backs coach Joe Woods: Considered to have a similar makeup to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who also once served as an assistant coach with the Vikings.

Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer: His players revere him and his defenses perform for him, and now the time should be here for him.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 7:44pm

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder might recover from his concussion in time to punctuate this season with a positive performance in the season finale against Chicago on Sunday.

"Christian is still our No. 1 quarterback, but you do have to take a real good look at Joe," coach Leslie Frazier said.

Ponder, who suffered a concussion in the third quarter of the Vikings' 33-26 win over Washington on Saturday, is improving but must pass the NFL's protocol before returning to play.

Ponder must pass the ImPACT test, exercise without symptoms and get clearance from both a physician and the NFL's neurologist in order to be cleared, trainer Eric Sugarman said Monday.

"He's doing excellent today, really doesn't have any symptoms, and I hope for a fast and speedy recovery," Sugarman said.

If Ponder plays, the Vikings can get one more look at their first-round draft pick in hopes he'll offset his recent struggles.

Ponder was benched Dec. 11 against Detroit after throwing three interceptions while dealing with a hip pointer injury, led the offense to six three-and-outs in a loss to New Orleans and finished 8 of 13 for 68 yards against Washington.

Monday, December 26, 2011, 8:07pm

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said rookie running back Roy Helu, who was limited by knee and toe injuries all week, was tested out before Saturday’s game and couldn’t push off without pain and so the decision was made to sit him against the Vikings.

Shanahan praised Evan Royster’s production and said between Helu, Royster and Tim Hightower, the Redskins have great depth at running back.

Vikes RB Peterson could miss time in 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011, 1:48pm

An NFL source said late Saturday night that an MRI confirmed All-Pro halfback Adrian Peterson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament when his left knee caved sideways on a direct hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes early in the third quarter.

Surgery to replace the ACL probably won't occur for at least a couple of weeks while Peterson regains his range of motion and the MCL heals. (Peterson's posterior cruciate ligament was not damaged, a source said. The lateral collateral ligament also is believed to be OK. The meniscus will be evaluated in the operating room and might need repair as well.)

An optimistic timetable would have Peterson returning to action no sooner than September. And recent research suggests even an athlete of Peterson's caliber may struggle to return to his previous performance level, especially one who relies so heavily on lower-body explosion.

Adrian Peterson tears ACL and MCL
Sunday, December 25, 2011, 5:05pm

If only a shot at the No. 1 pick was the only thing the Minnesota Vikings lost on Saturday.

A resilient 33-26 road win against the Washington Redskins paled against the grim reality the Vikings' best player might not be ready when the 2012 season begins - and there's at least a chance he won't be quite the same ever again.

An MRI confirmed All-Pro halfback Adrian Peterson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament when his left knee caved sideways on a direct hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes early in the third quarter.

Surgery to replace the ACL probably won't occur for at least a couple of weeks while Peterson regains his range of motion and the MCL heals. (Peterson's posterior cruciate ligament was not damaged. The lateral collateral ligament also is believed to be OK. The meniscus will be evaluated in the operating room and might need repair as well.)

An optimistic timetable would have Peterson returning to action no sooner than September. And recent research suggests even an athlete of Peterson's caliber may struggle to return to his previous performance level, especially one who relies so heavily on lower-body explosion.

By no means is Peterson's career over at age 26. He has proven to be a fast healer and is so competitive he may try to defy the minimum eight- to nine-month recovery timetable many NFL teams endorse.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 12:43pm

Even after a three-week layoff, Vikings HB Adrian Peterson (23 snaps) got plenty of extra attention from the Saints, who had a safety in box 78.2% of the time the All-Pro was in the backfield. It was obvious Peterson couldn't plant on his injured left ankle to finish the sweep he cut back through an inside crease for 39 yards. But he had three other carries of at least 8 yards (plus a fourth erased by Webb's penalty) and his 6.0-yard average on just 10 runs would've looked better if not for losses of 6 and 5 that were dead from go.

Friday, December 16, 2011, 2:05pm

From a team standpoint, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has one reason to play on a sprained ankle — avoiding the all-time franchise record for losses in a season. But Peterson has other reasons to give it a try.

Apart from being 128 yards from his fifth 1,000-yard season and 165 yards from the franchise rushing record held by Robert Smith, Peterson wants to help his owners not named Wilf.

“It’s very important, especially for my fantasy team owners,” Peterson said Thursday, according to Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “They’ve been giving me a hard time.”

Peterson was smiling when he said that, something his fantasy owners likely haven’t been doing lately. And Peterson said that he has been hearing from his fantasy owners on Twitter.