The Minnesota Vikings announced that quarterback Josh Freeman will not play in Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Freeman is dealing with a concussion apparently sustained in the third quarter of his Minnesota debut in Week 7.
Josh Freeman out with concussion, Christian Ponder to start; fantasy value for both incredibly low
Josh Freeman will miss Sunday’s game with a concussion. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Freeman's concussion wasn't announced until Wednesday, a day after being named the starting quarterback for the matchup against Green Bay. Freeman did not participate in practice all week, and Christian Ponder has been taking the starting reps and will be under center against the Packers Sunday.
It's a weird situation for Minnesota. Ponder was originally benched in favor of Matt Cassel, and then passed over for Freeman, a free-agent signing who was given $3 million to come to Minnesota. Now, one has to wonder if Ponder has an opportunity to play himself back into a starting role with a solid performance.
Fantasy Impact: Freeman seems to have more fantasy potential than Ponder, even if his debut was horrific. He completed 20 of 53 passes for 190 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. That’s a completion percentage of 37.7. That said, fantasy owners depending on him probably aren’t doing so hot, but they might already have Ponder if they’re in a position where they went with Freeman. So ... start Ponder if you absolutely have to.
• Week 8 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
• Week 8 fantasy football waiver wire: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
