The Minnesota Vikings have claimed RB Ben Tate off waivers after his release from the Cleveland Browns and this follows the suspension of Adrian Peterson by the NFL and now fantasy football owners should look at starting Tate along with Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon in Week 12, as all three should see some action with AP officially off the field again.
Tate comes in after having a rough stretch with the Cleveland Browns and now he has the chance to bounce back with the Vikings. According to ESPN.com writer Adam Schefter, the Vikings claimed Tate through waivers and now he will join the team days after Adrian Peterson was suspended for at least the rest of the season by the league. The Vikings needed a boost after the AP ruling came down and while Asiata and McKinnon have played well, Tate now gives the team a veteran option.
Tate complained about the lack of playing time and carries in recent weeks and that followed a bad stretch when he piled up just 90 yards over five games. Tate originally signed a two year deal with the Browns and was a prize free agent addition and now he is with a new team. The Browns felt that Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell deserved more attention in the offense and now they will get it. Tate had rushed for 33 yards this season in eight games and he had four TDs on the year after playing with the Texans in the previous three seasons.
The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson suspended for the rest of the season and that makes Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon the best fantasy football start options for Week 12, as Teddy Bridgewater and the offense needs the rushing game to stay consistent and now it's very likely that the suspension will be upheld and that means AP will have appeared in just one game this season.
McKinnon and Asiata have played well in place of Peterson and while neither of those players have the talent that AP does, they have given Bridgewater consistent options at running back. McKinnon has shown some solid potential as a three-down back, while Asiata has been strong at the goal line and is leading the team in touchdowns. Fantasy owners cashed in on Asiata a couple weeks ago when he had three TDs in one game, but overall McKinnon has been better for fantasy points.
Arbitrator Shyam Das gave the NFL a favorable ruling in the case regarding Peterson and that means that the league can keep Peterson on the exempt list. The NFL also suspended Peterson and that means the Vikings likely will not be able to get Peterson back this season. Peterson has been out since after Week 1 and now he will have to apply for reinstatement at a later date to get back onto the active roster. Peterson is one of the top players in the NFL, but the league decided to take a hard stance on him after what happened with his son. Peterson was admonished by Goodell, who said that Peterson showed no real remorse for what he did to his son, beating him and inflicting injuries with a switch, which is a tree branch.
