Replacing Adrian Peterson is not an easy task. The Minnesota Vikings opted to not to sign anyone off the free agent market after the running back was placed on the exempt list following child abuse charges. Head coach Mike Zimmer remained confident that the team's depth at the position would be enough to keep the offense balanced and he was correct, just not from the player they were thinking.
The Vikings were assumed that Matt Asiata would be the running back that would take over the production of Peterson and for the first few games he served that purpose well. However, the Vikings appear to be favoring the third-round rookie, Jerick McKinnon who thrived in his first NFL start. Going off snap counts, McKinnon took care of 46 snaps while Asiata was only active on 16. According to NFL.com, the Vikings no longer view Asiata as a starting running back, going with the rookie in the future.
After starting the year at third string looking at zero playing time, McKinnon put up 135 yards against the Atlanta Falcons and then followed that up with 40 yards on 11 carries against a top Detroit Lions defensive front. Not to mention he added another 42 yards off 11 catches from Teddy Bridgewater. McKinnon admits the start of his career has been a whirlwind, but he is ready to take over the backfield.
"[It has been] a whirlwind," McKinnon said, via the Minnesota Star Tribune. "Everything happened so fast. I think I prepare myself to be ready for whatever happens. There has definitely been a lot thrown my way, just from a rookie standpoint, going through a whole bunch of different things. But I think it's helped me in my progression to become a better NFL running back."
Fantasy owners should take note, McKinnon is a running back to start in Week 7. With Peterson shut down and faith lost in Asiata, the rookie will get another start for the team. The rookie now stresses that consistency is the key to success along with improving his pass protecting.
"I've had some mistakes here and there, some mishaps here and there," McKinnon said. "But for the most part I think I've been consistent. I think I've showed them that I come to get better in practice every day in and out, so I'm just trying to build upon those things as I go along and find my way."
The Vikings will try and keep McKinnon heavily involved in the offense while also getting Cordarrelle Patterson active as a receiver and rusher for the team. Zimmer noted earlier that Patterson needs to do a better job of getting open in order for the team to give him the ball more.
