The Minnesota Vikings have Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon as the top fantasy football start options over Ben Tate in Week 14 with Adrian Peterson sidelined, as those players have stepped up and should get the bulk of the carries once again, while Teddy Bridgewater and Cordarrelle Patterson are also solid players to keep an eye on as the Vikes boost the Jets on Sunday.
The Vikings have the Jets on Sunday and after a strong performance against the Panthers that saw the special teams step up, it could be time for the offense to explode. The Buffalo Bills did that to the Jets a couple weeks ago and the team now appears to be in a free fall as the season gets closer to ending. Asiata is the better option over McKinnon and Tate this week, as McKinnon missed the game against the Panthers and may be limited on Sunday.
If McKinnon is active he is worth starting, but Asiata is the player who likely will get the touchdowns, while Tate could steal some carries from both players. Asiata is the clear RB1 right now and he comes in after leading the team with 14 carries for 52 yards on Sunday. Asiata also added four catches and now this season he has over 330 yards and six touchdowns along with 29 catches for 216 yards. Joe Banyard had two carries last week and Ben Tate had five and that means Asiata is really the best option among the main backs for the Vikings.
Bridgewater has a new top target in Charles Johnson and he is a strong pickup and start option for fantasy owners in Week 14. Johnson played all but one snap for the team and he now is the number one wideout over Patterson. Johnson had just two catches, but he will be a strong option for Bridgewater going forward. Patterson played in just three snaps and his role has diminished in recent weeks for Norv Turner and Mike Zimmer.
The Vikings have been up and down this season and they are now 5-7 and third in the NFC north division. Adrian Peterson getting suspended didn't help things and his time on the exempt list kept him off the field for basically the entire season. While Peterson could return this season if he wins his appeal, his impact is minimal and now the Vikings at least know they have some talent in McKinnon and Asiata.
McKinnon was drafted with one of the draft picks the team got for Percy Harvin and along with Asiata, Teddy Bridgewater, Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson the Vikings have some solid young talent on offense. Whether Peterson is with Minnesota in the future or not, it's likely that his role will be a bit diminished since he is getting towards the age when RBs start to break down. Ben Tate also could stick around, but if Peterson comes back he likely is the odd man out. Peterson being out has hurt the Vikings, but they have some young talent and they already have a better record than they did last season.
