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The quarterback situation for the Minnesota Vikings has been a mess throughout the 2013 NFL season. Heading into their Week 10 game against the Washington Redskins, Christian Ponder and the Vikings will be looking for their second win this season. With Ponder as the starter Thursday night, there is no need for you to ponder on placing him into your starting fantasy football lineup.
Having given Matt Cassel a start and bringing in Josh Freeman, the Vikings have been looking for anyone to take the reins; but for at least this week, they appear to be set on starting Ponder — and why wouldn’t they? The only reason they second-guessed themselves on the quarterback position was due to an injury to Ponder, and after his start last week, he is exactly what the Vikings need.
Ponder completed 25 of his 37 pass attempts for 236 yards and one passing touchdown, not to mention recording himself a rushing touchdown. That would be two rushing touchdowns by Ponder in the last two weeks, and he has found the end zone with his feet four times in his five games this season.
Heading into his Week 10 Thursday night game against the Redskins, Ponder has tons of potential to tear up the stat line.
The Redskins’ defense has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and in the last two weeks, they have allowed 354 yards passing and 341 yards to go along with six total passing touchdowns. The Redskins’ defense has also been prone to giving up a few points as they have allowed an average of 35 points to opposing teams over the last four weeks.
Running back Adrian Peterson will get his fair share of carries, but Peterson only adds to Ponder’s fantasy value. As the teams have no choice but to move their defensive players closer to the line of scrimmage, the passing game is drastically opened up. Let’s not forget that Peterson is also a threat in the passing game out of the backfield as he has been able to find plenty of running room, giving his quarterback more and more passing yardage.
There aren’t many teams with top fantasy quarterback options that are on bye in Week 10 of the NFL, but if you’re in the boat with other fantasy owners who are trying to find a new starting quarterback who will give your team a solid outing, Ponder is a top option.
Tristen Challe is a Fantasy Writer for Rantsports. Follow him on Twitter @TristenChalle or on Google
