Fantasy football projections, Week 16: Vikings-Packers featuring Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Ty Montgomery, more

The Week 16 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers is one that could alter both the landscape of the NFC North and the playoff picture overall. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Running back Adrian Peterson made his return to the lineup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. He played 12 snaps in the game and carried the ball just six times for 22 yards. While some fantasy owners may be tempted to start Peterson against the Packers on Saturday, risking a fantasy championship on his performance is probably not a smart move. Yes the Packers only rank as a mediocre run defense in fantasy terms, but Week 16 represents a must-win game for the Vikings. As crazy as it sounds the Vikings can’t afford to rest the results of the game on Peterson’s shoulders. For that reason he’ll be hard-pressed to reach his projections in the fantasy finals.

A safer option when it comes to doing just that is tight end Kyle Rudolph. Despite the fact he only has one touchdown in the last five games, Rudolph has been consistent for the Vikings. He’s caught at least four passes in each of the last four contests. He’s also been targeted at least 10 times in three of the last four games. Last week he turned 10 targets into eight catches for 97 yards. The yardage total represented a season high for Rudolph. Consider that Green Bay has one of the worst secondary units in the NFL. Rudolph The Red Zone Reindeer will be in the holiday spirit on Saturday. His gift to fantasy owners will be at least five catches and 70 yards, good enough to warrant starting him.

For the first time in 2016, Aaron Rodgers finished a football game without throwing at least one passing touchdown. The Chicago Bears managed to keep him out of the end zone in Week 15. The outcome should be viewed as an anomaly. Even though Rodgers is facing off against a Vikings defense that has allowed the third fewest number of fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, A-Rod will be in top form on Saturday. A victory at home could help clinch the NFC North for the Packers. To say the least there’s a lot at stake in Week 16 and we’re not just talking about fantasy football here. No. 12 should put together a bounce-back performance this week. If he does he’ll be an MVP candidate when the regular season draws to a close.

When Rodgers turns to the running game, Ty Montgomery will take charge. He’s officially been converted into a permanent running back. While the thought of that probably makes some fantasy owners nervous heading into the finals, there’s no reason to be. Montgomery rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears last week on just 16 carries. While he won’t average more than 10 yards per carry against the Vikings, it’s obvious Montgomery can do the job between the tackles. He’s scored three rushing touchdowns in the last two games. Add to that his increased value in PPR formats and there’s no reason Montgomery can’t surpass his projections on Saturday.