(Bruce Hemmelgarn/US PRESSWIRE)
After suffering a torn ACL in Week 16 last year, nobody expected Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to be ready to go before the start of the 2012 NFL season, but it’s safe to say Peterson was one of the biggest surprises in Week 1 after rushing for 84 yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With these type of numbers, could Peterson end up being one of the biggest steals in fantasy football for the 2012 season?
Normally, fantasy owners would be snagging Peterson up in the first round (mostly in the top five picks) considering he’s one of the league’s best running backs when healthy. However, Peterson fell past the first round in most leagues–mainly because owners were afraid to take a chance on Peterson with all of the uncertainty surrounding his knee.
If Sunday is any indication of what to expect, Peterson’s knee appears to be just fine and he could be in for another big season.
Peterson looked like his old self by breaking through holes and jumping over defenders as if there was never a knee injury to worry about in the first place this offseason. In the days leading up to the game in Week 1, Leslie Frazier made it clear that Peterson would be limited against the Jaguars to avoid any risk of overdoing his work load considering it had only been eight months since the injury took place.
With Peterson dropping anywhere from the 2nd-4th round in most fantasy leagues–some owners may benefit from having two No. 1 running backs on their roster for the upcoming season.
