The Week 7 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions features division rivals who really need to turn things around in a hurry. We've got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Minnesota Vikings
Attention fantasy owners! An up-and-coming fantasy stud has emerged in Minnesota. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs got a chance to strut his stuff against the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and delivered six catches for 87 yards. That was enough to put him on the radar of some fantasy owners going into the team's bye week. Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught seven passes for 129 yards. That's enough to make Diggs one of the top waiver wire additions in fantasy leagues this week. Its clear teammate Charles Johnson is proving to be a flop this season, so Diggs looks like the team's new number one receiver and you must find a roster spot for him if he's still available in your league.
Of course those that are lucky enough to own running back Adrian Peterson won't have to take any chances on a newbie in the Vikings' pecking order. Peterson ran the ball 26 times against the Kansas City Chiefs last week and finished the game with just 60 yards. Although he is not on pace to break any rushing records this season, Peterson is still one of the best backs in the game by far. He should be able to dominate the Detroit Lions, who have demonstrated they have a leaky run defense. Seeing All Day top the 100-yard mark this week is almost a sure bet.
Detroit Lions
Look who finally showed up ready to play in Detroit. Quarterback Matthew Stafford posted one of the best statistical performances of his career last week against the Chicago Bears. While he completed just 27 of 42 pass attempts, those 27 completions led to 405 passing yards and four touchdowns. Stafford's numbers last week virtually matched his fantasy point production for the previous three weeks combined. He won't do that against a much better Vikings team this week, but hopefully he's regained some confidence and can demonstrate that he's back to being the Stafford of old.
The same goes for wide receiver Calvin Johnson. With Stafford on his game, Johnson caught six passes for a season-high 166 yards and a touchdown. The performance represented the first time this year that Megatron has surpassed 100 yards receiving. It sounds weird to say that doesn't it? The good news is that fantasy owners could be in for quite a windfall if both Johnson and his quarterback have indeed found their game. Lions fans and fantasy owners alike need both of them to do that with time running out to salvage the season.
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