2012 Fantasy Football Busts: Minnesota Vikings WR Jerome Simpson

The Minnesota Vikings signed former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson in the offseason. Simpson is an athletic receiver; his acrobatic flip into the end-zone will be on NFL highlight reels forever. However, his fantasy value is questionable this season as he’s on our list of 2012 Fantasy Football Busts, and speaking of “busts”:

Simpson pled guilty to a felony drug charge and was sentenced to 15 days in jail this offseason after he admitted he accepted a package carrying more than two pounds of marijuana at his house in September 2011. He’s required to complete 200 hours of community service and was placed on three years probation. As a result, Simpson will be suspended for the first three games of the season by the NFL.

That said, Simpson’s athleticism has stood out so far in Vikings camp. He’s working hard, has the right attitude, and has developed a good relationship with Christian Ponder and the rest of his new teammates. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave loves Simpson’s speed and his potential to be a deep threat.

He’s still working on learning Musgrave’s offense but he’ll have a little extra time considering his suspension. There’s a silver lining to everything, right?

Simpson is an athletic wide reciever, but he’s not a reliable No. 3 fantasy option. He could be a decent reserve off your bench, but you might have the opportunity to claim him off waivers seeing as how he won’t get on the field until week 4. Even then, this is still a risky pick considering the Vikings passing attack isn’t exactly a force to be reckoned with.