Adrian Peterson appears to have dodged a bullet after injuring his foot in the Minnesota Vikings' Week 14 loss. The running back sustained a mid-foot sprain during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens after getting tackled by linebacker Arthur Brown. The original diagnosis was not positive, but now things are looking up for the reigning MVP.
The Vikings announced Peterson will not need surgery after originally being diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury. That is certainly good news for everyone considering Peterson is only two years removed from a torn ACL. The running back underwent an MRI that ruled out everything but a sprain. He is still scheduled to have a CT scan and see a specialist, but things are looking much better. For now, Peterson will be wearing a boot, making him unlikely to play Sunday against the Eagles.
Peterson says he does not expect to miss any time, but the Vikings might have other ideas. Foot sprains can be unpredictable. DeMarco Murray missed six weeks for the injury and Maurice Jones-Drew ended up suffering a Lisfranc injury after his sprain did not properly heal in time. With Minnesota out of playoff contention, there is really no need for Peterson to play this week.
With Peterson unlikely to be active against the Eagles, Toby Gerhart moves up as a top waiver wire option for fantasy football owners. In Week 14 when Peterson left the game, Gerhart got a season-high 15 carries, putting up 89 yards total. His overall numbers are not that impressive, but that is simply because he is playing behind Peterson and gets very little time on the field.
In his limited time, he is averaging 7.9 yards per carry thanks to a nice 41-yard breakout touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday. In his brief time as a starter in place of the injured Peterson in 2011, he rushed for 531 yards on 109 carries. The former Heisman runner up will get the bulk of the carries against a relatively weak rushing defense of the Eagles.
Peterson appears to be convinced that he can play this week, but doctors are likely to tell him to keep that walking boot on for the near future. With the 3-9-1 record currently controlling Minnesota, keeping Peterson out is the smart road to take.
