The Minnesota Vikings have some changes at the running back position for Sunday in Week 15 and that is big news for fantasy football owners, as Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart are expected to miss the game against the Eagles and Reggie Bush may also be out for the Detroit Lions, making Matt Asiata a good pickup and start option for the weekend matchups after the injuries.
ESPN.com is reporting that the players will be out and it comes after Peterson injured his foot last week against the Ravens, while Gerhart injured hs hamstring and that puts Matt Asiata right into the starting spot. The Vikings have had a rough season with injuries and other issues and now Peterson could be out for the back end of the schedule after injuring his foot and he will be evaluated next week. Peterson was having another solid season and was appearing to heat up after rushing for 211 yards the week before the Ravens game and that came after a 146 yard performance against the Packers. The team has been playing better of late and Peterson has three touchdowns over his past five games and now fantasy owners in the playoffs that thought they could rely on Gerhart after he came in for Peterson last week will have to find another option.
Peterson was expected to be able to play on Sunday from the coaching staff, but after being unable to practice he was ruled out and he comes in with 10 touchdowns and over 1,200 yards this season for a Vikings team that will miss the playoffs a year after qualifying for the postseason. Gerhart had a solid game coming in for Peterson last week, rushing for a 41 yard touchdown during the crazy finish to that game and he finished with 89 yards on 15 carries and averaged nearly six yards per carry. Gerhart is averaging nearly eight per carry this season and he has 283 yards on the ground and he had 91 yards against the Packers and he will be out too, making Matt Asiata the fantasy pickup for anyone that is desperate and he at least has a solid matchup with a bad Eagles rush defense.
Matt Asiata is from Utah and has very limited experience, carrying the ball three times this season for nine yards and he also has one catch for two yards out of the backfield and while he is very very untested, fantasy owners may not have a choice. Anyone who has Petersen and Gerhart or Bush and can't get their hands on someone like Joique Bell or James Starks, Asiata could end up being a surprise, as the Vikings are not the best passing team in the league and the way the Eagles are playing, the running backs could be the main focuses of the offense on Sunday in Week 15. Matt Asiata is a solid pickup for Peterson and Gerhart on Sunday.
