Minnesota Vikings fans are excited for the upcoming season. The team surprised a lot of people by going 7-9 under rookie head coach Mike Zimmer last year. More importantly, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished the season in a flurry, prompting some breakout expectations from those around the league. But perhaps the most beneficial change over the last year is the return of running back Adrian Peterson.
Peterson missed all but one game last season due to off-field issues. His return is expected not only to help Bridgewater's development, but also help Minnesota's playoff chances. But after nearly a year away from football, how much should Vikings fans expect from the 30-year-old running back? The answer is a lot, apparently.
"Adrian's going to get a heavy workload," Zimmer said in an interview with USA Today. "So, the other guys are going to fight for their reps."
The others guys in this case are Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata. The duo combined for more than 1,100 yards in Peterson's absence last year, but neither has the natural talent of the former MVP-winning rusher.
"As much as he can take, and as much as he can handle in all the things that we're doing," Zimmer said of Peterson's upcoming workload. "Obviously, we're going to have to spell him at times like you do a lot of guys. But we get down on the goal line, and we're probably not pulling him out, you know? He's our best player, and we're going to continue to use him."
That has to be welcome news for fantasy football owners. So is Peterson's expected involvement in the passing game.
"We throw the ball to the backs quite a bit, so he did catch the ball," Zimmer said. "We'll continue to do that. If you get a guy like him that if you get him out in space, whether it's a screen or a flare or an option route or something like that, if it does get to those position, defenders understand they're covering 28, and so they're going to give him the respect that he's due whether it's in the passing game or the running game. All he needs is a little bit of separation and, hopefully, he catches a ball and then a lot of good things can happen out there, especially when the other side is cleared out."
