The Week 12 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons features two teams looking to rebound from losses. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 12: Vikings-Falcons featuring Adrian Peterson, Julio Jones and Matt Ryan
We break down the Week 12 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons.
Minnesota Vikings
The surprising Vikings look to challenge the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North division title, but last week those same Packers showed the Vikings they won’t go away quietly. That means the Vikings will have to get right back on their horse and get back to winning against the Falcons. Running back Adrian Peterson’s performance in Week 12 will go a long way towards helping that cause. He was held to just 45 rushing yards last week, but Minnesota spent most of the second half playing from behind. This week’s game should be a lot closer. Don’t be surprised if Peterson is doing touchdown dances for the fourth week in a row.
Especially since wide receiver Stefon Diggs may be in for another tough day. He’s cooled off a bit in the last three weeks and last week’s 66-yard performance against Green Bay was his best game of the trio. Diggs faces a Falcons team this week that is ranked second best in the NFL at limiting fantasy receivers. It’s hard to put him in the lineup right now, but those in deeper leagues may not have much choice.
Atlanta Falcons
Given that the Atlanta Falcons got off to a flying start to begin the season by winning five straight games, few would have predicted the team would sit at just 6-4 going into the game against the Vikings. Quarterback Matt Ryan should bear some of the responsibility for that. He’s always been on the cusp of being an elite fantasy quarterback, but this year represents a clear drop to the second tier for him. Ryan threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns last week in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It would have been a big-time performance except that he also threw three interceptions in the game. Hopefully a matchup against an even better Vikings defense doesn’t sour his stats.
If there is good news for Ryan fantasy wise, it’s that he will likely be throwing the ball more often in Week 12. It doesn’t look like running back Devonta Freeman will be able to play. That means Ryan will throw a lot and that wide receiver Julio Jones should see a large number of targets. Jones caught nine passes last week for 160 yards. He’s been targeted at least 15 times in three of the last four games. Jones should feast on the Vikings, like he has pretty much everyone else this season.
