The Minnesota Vikings have high expectations on offense this season with Teddy Bridgewater back for year two and names like Adrian Peterson, Charles Johnson, Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph are the best fantasy football starter options, while players like Stefon Diggs, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jerick McKinnon could be sleepers in 2015.
The Vikings had a solid season in 2014 despite having Adrian Peterson on the sidelines for 15 games and now Bridgewater will be getting him back for a full year. As long as Peterson stays healthy the Vikings offense should be in better shape, as the team added Mike Wallace to the mix at receiver. Adding Wallace should take some pressure off of inconsistent player Cordarrelle Patterson and also could give a boost to Charles Johnson, who is emerging as the number one wideout for the team.
The rushing game should be more consistent as well with Peterson back, as Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata give some solid depth at RB. Asiata and McKinnon had to handle the bulk of playing time last year with Peterson out and the experience for both players could be very helpful for this season. Bridgewater did not get the chance to have Peterson be his lead rusher and having him in the backfield could be very significant for Norv Turner and the offense.
Bridgewater showed that he can be a quality starter in the NFL with his play last season and the Vikings expect him to get even better this year. Peterson has not played in the preseason, but he is not expected to miss any time for the regular season after dealing with a minor hip injury. Bridgewater has played and he has been solid in limited work, completing over 80 percent of his passes in the snaps has played and he put up 76 total yards in the last game against the Cowboys.
Johnson was a rookie last season and he was impressive in limited time, making 31 catches in 11 games for the Vikings and putting up 475 yards and two touchdowns. While those numbers are not like Odell Beckham's rookie season, Johnson has been impressive this summer and Turner said that he has been the best receiver of the group. Matt Vensel of Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote about Johnson this summer, saying he is the receiver that "Teddy Bridgewater trusts most."
Johnson and Wallace could put up nice numbers this season and it could help Patterson, who has had problems with drops. Patterson is an explosive player, which he showed on a 107-yard kickoff return in the preseason, but he has to get more consistent in the passing game.
Check here for more on the Minnesota Vikings and roster options heading into the season.
The Vikings have also started making roster cuts and one of the notable players to go is tight end Brandon Bostick, who was picked up from the Packers. The team also reportedly released running back Joe Banyard, linebacker Josh Kaddu, defensive lineman Crishon Rose and cornerbacks Jalil Carter, Justin Coleman and Demarcus Van Dyke. The team will have more roster moves to make over the coming weeks as the preseason ends.
