Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson missed practice this week for an undisclosed reason and it was revelaed Friday that he is facing child abuse charges in Texas, according to ESPN.com.
Peterson was indicted and charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child and now his status is in question for the rest of the season after the arrest. Peterson will not be playing this weekend and he has been deactivated by the Vikings for their game against the New England Patriots. The report from local police describes Peterson striking his child with a "switch" from a tree and descibes that his four year old had bruises and welts up to a week after the alleged incident.
With Peterson unable to play this week against the New England Patriots, Matt Asiata will be the starter since he is the main backup for Peterson. He could be a solid option now that Peterson isn't starting on Sunday for fantasy owners.
According to ESPN, Peterson has been accused of child abuse in Montgomery, Texas and it previously was not taken to indictment from one grand jury, but later charges were brought. CHECK here for updates from Pro Football Talk and photos from the Texas authorities. CHECK HERE for the local report with many details about what Peterson did and what happened to his son.
According to ESPN.com, Peterson did not participate in practice on Thursday and while he is still expected to play, there is a chance he could be limited in the game and that would give Matt Asiata a chance to get some carries. Last season Asiata did a nice job with Peterson out for a little stretch and he is a solid handcuff option even if Peterson plays, as he could get injured later in the season. That likely would put Matt Asiata into the starting role. UPDATE: Peterson was out to take care of issues stemming from this incident and now has been deactivated.
Peterson had a solid day on Sunday against the Rams and put up a very good line of 75 yards on 21 carries and while he did not score a TD, the Vikings did not need it on Sunday. Peterson also added two receptions for 18 yards and that is one area where he could be very valuable this season in the new offense from Norv Turner. Last season Peterson had another great year with 1266 yards and 10 touchdowns and he has had double digit TDs every year of his career.
Peterson had over 20 touches in the game and that made him very valuable and now he could continue down that road this season. Asiata had two rushes for 10 yards and had one reception for five yards and while he won't get many touches with AP in, he could step up if he misses time. Asiata had 44 carries last season for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
