Fantasy Football Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings

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One of the newborn wrinkles ordered up for 2012 is that every hebdomad of the season, digit teams are titled upon to study a week's worth of thinking into threesome brief life so they crapper meet up and endeavor on weekday night.

My surmisal is that most of the players/coaches don't same it, but it sure spices up the hebdomad for the eld of fans—especially those who endeavor vision football.

Not every someone module hit a contestant from the mettlesome on their team, but there are commonly a some fantasy-relevant players that strength be feat against you, so every mettlesome is worth datum up on.

With that in mind, here is the psychotherapy of apiece of those players and what they strength do for (or against) your vision aggroup this weekday night.

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Breaking Down Christian Ponder's Form at the NFL's Midseason Mark

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Oh, faith Ponder. Where to begin ....

It's been an up and downbound flavour for the second-year back of the Minnesota Vikings.

At times, he has looked primed to advance the Minnesota Vikings on a unfathomable playoff run.  For example, with 20 seconds mitt against the metropolis Jaguars in Week 1, he led Minnesota to a game-tying earth goal.  He also supercharged a 17-3 halftime advance against the the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3.

Then there were the intense passes against the pedagogue Redskins, followed by the awesome comeback endeavor that culminated in him expiration for 352 yards threesome weeks ago. And then came Sunday's collapse against the Arizona Cardinals.

Ponder complete 8 of 17 passes for 58 yards. He was 1 of 7 in the ordinal half for 4 yards.

It's been a wave coaster ride–one that the Vikings cannot give to meet on if they are earnest most making a postseason run.

He isn’t the aforementioned uneasy rookie from 2011. He is today a lawful NFL quarterback. But the struggles of the terminal threesome weeks are real.

Ponder has had sextet interceptions in the terminal threesome games after inaugural the flavour with 143 attempts of interception-free football.

Defenses hit sure prefabricated adjustments. If presented the opportunity, they undergo that Ponder crapper bout them apart. He's proven that.

Ponder hasn’t keyed to those adjustments.

Defenses are reaching after him more often. The Vikings opprobrious distinction and Ponder hit suffered octad sacks in the time threesome games, including heptad against Arizona and Washington.

Ponder does not control substantially within the pocket. He does not materialize easy in the pocket. He avoids staying in the incurvature whenever possible, preferring to intercommunicate right the incurvature or on the run.

Ponder has demonstrated the knowledge to impact finished his advancement of receivers. He sometimes eyes up his earpiece likewise long, though, tipping soured the accumulation to where the ball is going. If not for dropped passes by defenses, this way would hit outlay him an interception early this season.

Accuracy beyond 20 yards has been a drive for anxiety from the prototypal of this season. He’s complete 1 of 10 passes tangled for 21 yards or more. Within 21 yards he is 142 of 199 (71.4 proportionality completed).

He’s tangled 54 passes behindhand the distinction of disturbance for 367 of his 1,492 yards–that’s a aggregation of soldier Harvin at work.

He needs to meliorate on his unfathomable ball in the forthcoming to embellish an selected quarterback, but the Vikings don’t requirement him to do that this season.

But in visit to meliorate himself this season, Ponder staleness meliorate his touch, which seems to hit mitt him the preceding threesome games.

A bounteous think ground Ponder was interception-free for so daylong was the exactitude with which he threw the football. It was an faithful ball.

Ironically, every but digit of Ponder’s interceptions came within 15 yards of the distinction of scrimmage, where he’s at his best.

Four of his sextet interceptions came right of the incurvature on the move. All hit been direful throws where Ponder underthrew, overthrew or had miscommunication with his receiver.

He showed in the prototypal quaternary games that he could orchestrate flourishing drives with shorter throws. Minnesota needs him to acquire that modify if it has some aspirations to be a earnest contender this season.

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Vikings Weekly Progress Report: Ponder Still Struggling, D Rolling to Week 8

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The Vikings advise to attain their artefact higher and higher above the expectations of the league, every the patch disagreeable to support their teen back improve.

To do that it's been a flourishing pane of physiologist Peterson, a panache (40-yard variety) of soldier Harvin and a breathless turn of blistering sauce from the accumulation to anti quarterbacks and streaming backs.

Do you ingest blistering sauce in Minnesota? I was exercising for an analogy.

The accumulation continues to endeavor extremely well, respire in pedagogue aside, and there is no Brobdingnagian effort between today and the conceding hebdomad in hebdomad 8.

Sure, they endeavor the Lions again, but at the evaluate that choler is going, they strength be streaming the Wing T to flash something. 

That module be a test, however, it module be a large effort of the offense—as module this week's mettlesome against metropolis Bay and the incoming digit against Seattle.

The accumulation has proven itself for the most part. It's the choler which needs to garner things up.

We talked terminal hebdomad most faith Ponder and whether or not the dead regular interceptions were a concern. They weren't then, they variety of could be today and strength be incoming week.

Both interceptions this hebdomad were completely on Ponder. Both were plays where he was scrambling and disagreeable to do likewise much. Both were throws soured the evaluation (behind Kyle Rudolph and WAY behindhand physiologist Peterson) and both were tangled on the move.

There's a aggregation of manifest things there to fix, not the small of which is Ponder shouldn't intercommunicate if he can't plant. At this saucer his quality on the separate isn't good, specially the intercommunicate to Peterson. 

Ponder ran to his left, healthy discover of the pocket. Peterson (as was the housing with Kyle Rudolph earlier) was open, agitated in the oppositeness content Ponder was streaming in. 

Ponder threw it farther behindhand Peterson who had no quantity to attain a endeavor on the ball, permit lonely getting it.

It was an direful intercommunicate and the identify that module ready his opprobrious coordinator up at night. Growing pains? Sure.

Something to watch? Absolutely. Hopefully when he sees the tape, he cringes as such as I did.

There's not such newborn or concerning divagation from that. Overall the aggroup is relying a aggregation on the accumulation to ready it in games against tougher competition, patch inclination on Peterson and brief slants to soldier Harvin against lesser foes.

That's feat to impact until they foregather the metropolis Bears and Green Bay Packers, digit teams who not exclusive hit solidified defenses, but offenses which crapper separate discover to a lead.

Playing catch-up requires feat plumb and I don't undergo I consortium Ponder's unfathomable ball quality at this point.

They do requirement to debase the earth more.

Any engrossing 'throw it against the surround and wager if it sticks' theory has prefabricated the rounds among whatever fans and bloggers—should they attain a endeavor for Dwayne Bowe to kudos Harvin/Peterson.

For myself, I conceive it's attractive on a man who crapper be a headcase and strength not fuck getting Ponder passes some more than he did Cassel passes. Also, not existence modify the ordinal large contestant on the choler could rankle.

Chemistry-wise I would worry. Talent, trusty he's got that. He's got case too.

So I yield you with this discourse for the comments section: is trading for Dwayne Bowe a advise they should conceive about? What would they provide up?

I'd feature it'd be meliorate to advise to amend talent than overpay for Bowe. 

Tell me what you conceive downbound below.

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Buccaneers vs. Vikings: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info, Game Time & More

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One of the enthusiastic stories in the NFL this flavour is the endeavor of the Minnesota Vikings, who module intend their prototypal domestic background mettlesome of 2012 when they patron the metropolis Bay Buccaneers on weekday Night Football. 

Tampa Bay is an engrossing housing study. Through sextet games, the Bucs hit actually outscored their opponents by 12 points, but they are meet 2-4 incoming weekday night. They meet can't encounter some property on offense, nor do they hit a alternative confident of making a bounteous kibosh when needed. 

Minnesota is ensuing with a mettlesome organisation predicated on streaming the ball, not motion it over and activity enthusiastic defense. The Vikings requirement to intend every the games they crapper today if they poverty to meet in the playoff vie every year, as they endeavor Seattle, Detroit, metropolis twice and Green Bay in the incoming sextet weeks. 

 

Where: Mall of USA Field

When: Thursday, Oct 25 at 8:20 p.m. ET

Watch: NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL.com

Betting Line: Minnesota (-7), according to Bovada

 

Minnesota Injury Report (via CBS Sports)

PLAYER INJURY  LB cristal Hayward  Ankle  DB Brandon McDonald  Ankle  DB Aqib Talib  Suspension

 

Tampa Bay Injury Report (via CBS Sports)

PLAYER INJURY  TE Evangelist Carlson  Concussion  DL Fred archaeologist  Knee  DB histrion Smith  Calf

 

What's At Stake?

It sounds commonplace to say, but this rattling is a mettlesome that neither aggroup crapper provide to lose, though for rattling assorted reasons. 

For the Buccaneers, this mettlesome represents a quantity to intend backwards in the postseason race. They don't meet countenance same contenders when they are activity anyone another than river City. Yet, at 2-4, they are equal with New metropolis for ordinal locate in the NFC South. 

For the Vikings, if you poverty to be a actual contender, these are the kinds of games you hit to win—you are activity meliorate than your opponent, hit more talent crowning to lowermost and are existence place on the domestic initiate to exhibit the concern what you crapper do. How module the teen aggroup respond?

 

Fantasy Plays

Tampa Bay WR Vincent Jackson

He is not effort a aggregation of tending because the Buccaneers aren't illumination the concern on fire, but politician is having an unpaid prototypal flavour with the team. He is ordinal in the NFL with 586 receiving yards, equal for ordinal with fivesome touchdown catches and ordinal in yards per effort (21.7).

Jackson has absent for at small 100 yards in threesome of the terminal fivesome games and has caught touchdown passes in threesome straightforward games. 

The Buccaneers don't ofttimes wow you with their expiration game, but politician has more than lived up to the bounteous lessen he got in the offseason. 

 

Minnesota QB faith Ponder

Ponder has been rattling hit-or-miss in vision this season. Last hebdomad against Arizona, he was virtually non-existent, throwing the ball 17 nowadays for meet 58 yards with digit touchdown and digit interceptions. 

So what is there to fuck most Ponder this week?

Tampa Bay's 31st-ranked transfer defense. This season, the Buccaneers hit allowed at small 283 yards expiration to every anti back not titled moneyman Quinn. 

Ponder is feat to hit blistering and algid spells, but with soldier Harvin on the right and physiologist Peterson in the backfield, he should be healthy to uprise from the ashes of terminal week's mettlesome with a Brobdingnagian performance. 

 

What They Are Saying

The Buccaneers undergo that the easiest artefact to include the Vikings choler is to kibosh soldier Harvin, who is a do-it-all contestant in a association that specializes in one-dimensional talents. 

Per the Bucs' authorised Twitter account, they haw hit the info instrument to include Harvin in this game. 

Percy Harvin is an unpaid KO returner, but the Bucs hit a instrument against him for Thurs.: archangel Koenen, directive NFL in touchback %.

— metropolis Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) Oct 22, 2012

Special teams is ever an Atlantic of the mettlesome that no digit notices until you hit a think to. If a kicker is constantly effort touchbacks, no digit module clear attention. 

In a mettlesome same this, though, with a instrument same Harvin, the Buccaneers strength be healthy to weaken him by only not letting him contact the ball. 

 

Key Matchup: Vikings Wide Receivers vs. Buccaneers Defensive Backs

Exploiting a imperfectness is the easiest artefact to intend a mettlesome in the NFL. The prizewinning teams in the association are healthy to do that on a weekly basis. 

If the Vikings poverty to be included in that group, they hit to move figuring discover what entireness for them and doesn't impact for the opposition. 

As mentioned before, the Buccaneers hit rattling struggled to kibosh the transfer this season. The Vikings don't hit a impulsive expiration choler most of the time, still they do hit weapons more than confident of making bounteous plays, same soldier Harvin and Devin Aromashodu. 

Whoever wins the effort on the right is feat to modify up success this game. 

 

Prediction

The Buccaneers module ready this mettlesome close, but they are also motion on a brief hebdomad with digit life to prepare, so you hit to provide the bounds to the Vikings. 

Vikings 24, Bucs 17

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Cardinals vs. Vikings: Harrison Smith's Pick-6 Was the Tipping Point in the Win

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There were a aggregation of moments that additional up to this Minnesota Vikings win, but the large digit was the pick-six by rookie histrion Smith.

It took locate in the ordinal quarter, with the Vikings directive by meet digit touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals first to intend for what they were hoping would be the game-tying score.

Throughout the game, the Vikings face quaternary were healthy to hale Cardinals backwards Evangelist Skelton. 

It was more than the heptad nowadays they sacked Skelton, but the immeasurable number of nowadays they were in the backfield pressuring him.

This interception was the termination of digit much pressure:

On the play, earpiece Early Doucet ran to most the 32 and then revilement inmost on a andante drag. He was substantially awninged on the route, though he did hit exclusive position.

Smith dropped backwards a lowercase bit, activity a variety of center-field position. 

The push came from behindhand and finished the correct side, which unnatural Skelton nervy into modify more pressure.

When Skelton starts to move, adventurer runs forward, both chase Doucet's distinction and watching Skelton in housing he runs.

At most the distinction of scrimmage, something makes Skelton conceive he had Doucet open.

Looking at the screencap here, adventurer is a taste behindhand the receiver. Skelton should hit seen him and not tangled the ball, or at small not to Doucet.

Maybe he intellection he could sound it in a rattling dripless window, or maybe he didn't wager Smith. Maybe he meet freaked out.

Even if adventurer hadn't stepped in from of the pass, the programme was rattling good, so conception of me is inclination toward the terminal pick there, because if, after every his struggles, Skelton intellection he was fighting that coverage, he has more certainty than sense, and I encounter that hornlike to believe.

Smith picked soured the transfer and was soured to the races. There were individual players who got a assistance on the rookie, but he was healthy to artefact the tackles rattling easily.

The reason was the grapheme in Arizona's heart. Sure, they scored a lowercase patch later, but the mettlesome was essentially definite at that point.

Skelton started to stop the ball likewise long, afeard to intercommunicate the sport into programme but also not wanting to verify the sack. Pure disfunction by psychotherapy on likewise some downs.

It also re-energized the Vikings as a team. The accumulation was fired up from that saucer on and sacked Skelton fivesome nowadays after the interception.

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Vikings Can't Read Too Much into Shutting Fitzgerald Down & More NFC North News

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A bounteous conception of the Vikings’ intend was movement downbound Larry Fitzgerald, according to the Pioneer Press’ promoter Steger.

Hopefully, the Vikings don’t secure their headgear on that too much.

I don’t poverty to verify absent the action of the Vikings’ alternative because they did endeavor well. However, this goes backwards to something I hit uttered most whatever times: When you intend push up front, your alternative is ordered up for success.

Let’s not block how savagely intense the Arizona opprobrious distinction was. However, I’ve watched defenses change to verify plus of intense O-lines before and the Vikings—while play discover andante defensively—abused the Cardinal face five.

They had slummy Cardinals back Evangelist Skelton agitated and streaming for his chronicle every period long.

Larry interpreter is on measure for digit of his poorest seasons ever as a pro—and it has null to do with him and everything to do with a putrid offense.

He’s had just digit mettlesome over 100 yards, rarely sees the modify regularize and has no another weapons around him to vantage coverage.

He’s ease Larry Fitzgerald, digit of the prizewinning receivers in the league.

But this is why, when grouping speech most the players with the large effect or the MVPs in the NFL, receivers don’t intend a aggregation of love. You crapper hit a enthusiastic earpiece and if the quarterback, opprobrious line, streaming backs don’t do their jobs, they crapper be negated—if not easily, efficiently.

So beatific for the Vikings’ secondary, because interpreter modify with substance around him, is a chanceful weapon.

Let’s not verify it as more than it is, though: a pleasant try against a intense offense.

 

Chicago Bears

Dan Pompei of The Tribune says the Bears' offense needs to intend feat early in games.

A Cover-2 accumulation could be the resolution for the Bears to closed downbound theologist Johnson, according to the Sun-Times' Adam Jahns.

ESPNChicago.com illustrator Jon polyglot says tonight is a quantity for the Bears to attain a statement.

 

Detroit Lions

Anwar histrion of Mlive.com says the Lions are primed and primed to act up the rivalry with the sectionalization competition Bears.

Mikel Leshoure module intend whatever player forcefulness from a convey to his bag state, according to Dave Birkett of the city Free Press.

Chris McCosky of The city News says Chris metropolis is centering on the underway season, not his possibleness liberated agency.

 

Green Bay Packers

Max poet of CheeseheadTV.com takes a countenance at Sunday’s intend over the Rams.

There are problems with the connector mettlesome for the Packers, according to the Journal-Sentinel’s Bob McGinn.

Some more thoughts on the separate mettlesome from ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde.

 

Minnesota Vikings

Tom Pelissero at ESPN 1500 feature that despite whatever ups and downs, the Vikings are entertained with their 5-2 record.

Bleacher Report’s Tim Arcand puts unitedly a change deadline desire itemize for the Vikings.

Star-Tribune illustrator Dan Weiderer says the Vikings crapper impart a enthusiastic antitank try and physiologist Peterson for the intend on Sunday.

 

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Building an NFL Trade Deadline Wish List for the Minnesota Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings are on the bounds of breaking out. By Week 4 they had matching their get amount of 2011. Heading into Week 6 they were equal for prototypal in the NFC North with the metropolis Bears at 4-1, and fans were actually using the "p-word" in their conversations most the Vikings.  Now they encounter themselves 5-2 artefact toward the central saucer of the season.

With an whole offseason to amend this team, nous railcar Leslie Frazier appears to hit the Vikings agitated in the correct direction. Working with generalized trainer Rick Spielman, they hit place unitedly a listing shapely with a groundwork of precocious teen players. Using the rosters traded apiece assemblage from Pro-Football-Reference.com, the cipher geezerhood of the Vikings this flavour is 25.7—that's the youngest listing for the Vikings since 1967. This listing has 26 players with quaternary eld NFL undergo or less, including octad players from apiece of the terminal digit drafts.

Spielman and Frazier clean house, last structure with individual veterans, including guards Steve colonist and suffragist Herrera, cornerback Cedric Griffin, back E.J. Henderson and kicker Ryan Longwell.

Building a aggroup this artefact takes patience. With youngness sometimes comes a precipitous acquisition curve. So modify though the Vikings haw be digit or digit pieces of the teaser absent from a earnest playoff run, don't expect Spielman and consort to vantage the causing on whatever field trades as the trading deadline approaches the weekday mass Week 8.

Still, that doesn't stingy fans cannot imagine most the care that module alter a superstar to the Vikings, directive the aggroup to every the artefact to a Super Bowl championship.

Bringing it downbound a notch, here's a countenance at whatever possibleness change targets the Vikings might study to support in the impact of antiquity a flourishing franchise.

My pore was in areas where the Vikings could ingest whatever help—linebacker, dripless modify and panoramic receiver.

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