Depending on who you owned in Week 2, this particular game might be a bit of a turning point in your league. In my own league, for example, the same guy owns RB Adrian Peterson, RB Jahvid Best, and QB Matt Stafford. This game obviously means a lot to him. But just like any other real-life match up, this Lions-Vikings game could be a fantasy boom or a real fantasy bust when it comes to the key players on your team.
Let’s take a closer look at the primary fantasy players in this week’s Lions-Vikings game. Should you sit ‘em or start ‘em? Find out below:
If You’ve Got ‘Em, Start:
QB Matthew Stafford, Lions: Stafford has been extremely productive throughout this season, and best of all, this Lions offensive line is keeping him on his feet and healthy. He’s already shown that he can run an up-tempo system effectively, and we are guessing that he’ll have quite the field day against a suspect Minnesota secondary. Start him with confidence in any league.
WR Calvin Johnson, Lions: He’s Stafford’s favorite target, and “Megatron” will no doubt pull out all the stops in this one. Just to cover my bases, I will remind Johnson owners that Vikings CB Antoine Winfield shocked the world by shutting down WR Mike Williams last week (1 catch for -4 yards), but we don’t exactly think that’s developing into an every week pattern. Johnson is a safe play in all leagues.
RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings: Another week, another no-brainer, but AP owners paid for peace of mind when most of them drafted him #1 overall. Peterson has been great thus far, averaging 109 yards and 1 TD on the ground per game through 2 games, which is good for about 17 points (before receptions) in most standard leagues. If he has anything similar to that in Week 3, he’ll be a point-scoring cornerstone on your roster yet again.
WR Michael Jenkins, Vikings: Sneaky play alert!!! In a few deeper leagues there may be people who own Jenkins and can start him in a flex position. Go ahead and do so if you can – McNabb seems to like finding him whenever possible. Heck, if you still own WR Bernard Berrian for some unknown reason, go ahead and swap him out for Jenkins! Even if you don’t own him and don’t plan to start him this week, watch him in this game because I think he could be a stealthy waiver wire pick-up for smart owners in the next few weeks.
Either FG Kicker (Longwell or Hanson): They’re both perfect so far, and they’re both kicking in a nice, comfy dome in Week 3.
If You’ve Got ‘Em, Sit:
WR Bernard Berrian, Vikings: This guy has shown enough in terms of his lacking fantasy potential. He may still get on track and catch 50 or so balls this season, which would be a decent real-life contribution, but he’ll never be stable on your fantasy roster, and we suggest that you free up that spot if you own him ASAP.
TE Brandon Pettigrew, Lions: Obviously if you only own Pettigrew, you start him at TE. Otherwise, I just get the feeling that even if the Lions score a bundle in this game (and they might), Pettigrew will somehow get lost in the shuffle. Just a hunch, but I’d pass on this week with him.
RB Jahvid Best, Lions: The return of DT Kevin Williams makes Best a marginal play – if you’ve got 2 better backs I’d say stick with them, if not you can play Best and still feel pretty good about it – but if he swings and misses and comes out of this game with minimal impact, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Vikings D/ST: They are not a widely owned unit, but they will likely surrender a good chunk of yardage and points this week, so if you do have them, wait until a better match-up presents itself.
There are certainly a lot of great potential fantasy points to be had in this game, best of luck if you’re leaning heavily on one of these guys!!
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