For fantasy football owners who have Peterson on your team, this news had to leave you feeling sick. The good news, however, is that the Vikings coaching staff is saying that they expect their star to suit up and play in Week 12.

On the season, Peterson has 999 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He also has 25 receptions for 215 yards. In his career, he’s always gotten at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. In other words, he’s a consistent fantasy football beast.

If Peterson can’t play in Week 12, he’d be replaced by Chester Taylor. For fantasy owners, Taylor is a solid start. He’s one of the better backup running backs in the NFL and should provide good production against a relatively weak Bears defense.

Will Adrian Peterson play in Week 12? (Image: Zuma Press)

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1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won a Super Bowl last year thanks to their great defensive unit. In 2009 fantasy football, their defense should be dominant once again.

2. New York Giants
With a defense that can get to the quarterback and plays with impressive physicality, the Giants make things happen on the defensive end on a weekly basis.

3. Minnesota Vikings
Last year, it turned out that the Vikings defense was overrated. This year, they may be underrated. Draft the Vikings D with confidence.

4. Baltimore Ravens
It’s never safe to count out the Ravens on the defensive side of the field. They are talented and mean — a good combination to have on your side.

5. Tennessee Titans
The Titans loss of Albert Haynesworth is huge but Tennessee should be able to survive and thrive. You can count on the coaching to be top notch.

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As for his 2009 fantasy football outlook, it’s safe to expect the unexpected with Favre — as has been the case for much of the last half decade. Some games he’ll look great, some games he’ll force the issue too much and rack up the turnovers.

With the Vikings, Favre’s fantasy ceiling is a bit lower than in other stops simply due to how the Vikings are built. Running back Adrian Peterson will remain the main focus on the offensive side of the ball. Add in the team’s very good defense and Minnesota likely won’t need Favre to carry much of the load. They’ll basically need him to keep the defense honest and limit his mistakes.

All in all, expected Favre to be your fantasy football quarterback starter in 2009 is probably asking too much. But as a backup, he should be an above average asset.

Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings (Image: Newscom)

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Is Brett Favre considering putting on a Minnesota Vikings' helmet? (Image: Newscom)

Even though Favre’s retirement game is getting slightly annoying, if he joins the Vikings and starts for the team at quarterback, he will definitely have a 2009 fantasy football impact.

Even though Favre is 39 years old and far past his prime, he showed glimpses of great play last year with the New York Jets. Compared to the quarterbacks that are currently in Minnesota (Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels), Favre would be an upgrade.

Last year with the Jets, Favre finished the season with 3,472 yards and 22 touchdowns to go with 22 interceptions. However, if you look closer at the numbers, Favre played much better near the beginning of the season. His play suffered down the stretch run, partly due to an arm injury.

Besides, the Vikings were the team Favre originally wanted to go to after leaving Green Bay. He’d have to be re-energized and focused on making the Packers regret their decision.

As far fantasy football value, Favre on the Vikings would make a solid backup quarterback option with a relatively high ceiling. Additionally, if Favre joins Minnesota, the stocks for all the receiving options will immediately rise.

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If Minnesota successful trades for the quarterback, he becomes a candidate to become the teams starter at QB. Currently, the Vikings have Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte at the position. Although Jackson has shown some promise, he’s still extremely raw. Frerotte, on the other hand, has seen his best days.

Even if Rosenfels wins the starting job, he likely won’t be on the fantasy radar. Minnesota runs the ball a ton and their receiving corps is lacking talent. At best, Rosenfels would be a late round sleeper in 2009 fantasy football drafts.

While in Houston, Rosenfels has looked elite at times. At other times, he’s bumbled away very winnable games. He still has the potential to be a decent quarterback but he has a lot of work to do to master the position.

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Saturday, January 3rd – 4:30 PM Eastern
Atlanta Falcons at the Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, January 3rd – 8:00 PM Eastern
Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, January 4th – 1:00 PM Eastern
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, January 4th – 4:30 PM Eastern
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Bye Week: Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers

Photo credit: Newscom

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D Indianapolis Colts
With the playoffs quickly approaching, the Indianapolis Colts are playing very good defense. Their only sub par defensive game came against the Detroit Lions — surprisingly enough. Overall, the Colts are showing Super Bowl level defense.

D Minnesota Vikings
Even though the Vikings aren’t healthy and also have to worry about some suspensions on the defensive side of the ball, they are still producing very well in fantasy football. While they haven’t quite lived up to their preseason hype, they are still a top tier fantasy defense.

D Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Using a good blend of veterans and youth, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. They’ve been a bit erratic in terms of fantasy football production, but when they are playing well they are one of the best defenses to own.

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RB Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
Marion Barber III took some criticism last week for not playing. Considering that fact, there’s a good chance he’ll do his all to play in Week 15. The backup running back option for the Cowboys is currently Tashard Choice.

QB Gus Frerotte, Minnesota Vikings
Listed as doubtful, it doesn’t appear as if Gus Frerotte is going to be able to play in Week 15 for the Vikings. In his place, expect Tarvaris Jackson to get the start at quarterback. Given Jackson’s shaky history, look elsewhere for a fantasy football starter.

QB Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although Jeff Garcia is listed as questionable, it sounds like he’ll be able to play in Week 15. If he doesn’t play, Brian Griese would likely start. However, there’s a possibility that Luke McCown would get the nod.

Photo credit: Newscom

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RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Going up against the Detroit Lions, Adrian Peterson should be running early and often. The Lions are putrid defensively and the Vikings should easily be able to move the ball. The only thing that could stop Peterson in Week 14 is if it’s a blowout early and the the Vikings let him rest.

WR Randy Moss, New England Patriots
Last week, Randy Moss was relatively quiet. However, that wasn’t two surprising considering the Patriots were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 14, the Patriots have a much easier matchup — the Seattle Seahawks. Expect Moss to be a big part of the game plan to run over the Seahawks.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez is not only the best tight end at the moment in fantasy football, he’s going up against the weak defense of the Denver Broncos. He should be able to have a very good game. The Broncos aren’t a good pass defending team and Gonzalez is easily the number one option on the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball.

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RB Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints
With Deuce McAllister suspended and Reggie Bush still slowed by injury, Pierre Thomas is a very important member of the Saints backfield right now. He’s the goal line back and should see around 15 touches in Week 14. If you need to pick up an emergency starter at running back, check to see if Thomas is available in your fantasy league.

WR Mark Bradley, Kansas City Chiefs
If Mark Bradley plays this week, consider him a definite sleeper for Week 14. Although he’s banged up and might miss the game against the Denver Broncos, he’ll be a weapon if he actually plays. The Chiefs have been able to move the ball and the Broncos have not been able to stop the ball. That’d be a good combination for Bradley.

TE Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens
Todd Heap had a horribly slow start to the 2008 fantasy football season but as of late he’s really started to pick it up. He has three touchdowns in his four games and while the Washington Redskins are a tough matchup, the Ravens will likely have to throw the ball more and that is good news for Heap.

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