2002 Results

Coach: Mike Tice Record: (6-10) Passing Offense: 9th, 230.3 yds/gm, 19 TDs Rushing Offense: 1st, 156.7 yds/gm, 26 TDs Scoring Offense: 8th, 24.4 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating Daunte Culpepper 549 333 3853 18 23 75.3               Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   Michael Bennett 255 1296 5.1 5 85   Daunte Culpepper 106 609 5.7 10 38   Moe Williams 84 414 4.9 11 44   Doug Chapman 12 89 7.4 0 27   Randy Moss 6 51 8.5 0 25   Jimmy Kleinsasser 6 17 2.8 0 4   Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Randy Moss 106 1347 12.7 7 60   D'Wayne Bates 50 689 13.8 4 59   Jimmy Kleinsasser 37 393 10.6 1 39   Byron Chamberlain 34 389 11.4 0 61   Michael Bennett 37 351 9.5 1 45   Moe Williams 27 251 9.3 0 36   Kelly Campbell 13 176 13.5 3 32

2003 Results

Coach: Mike Tice Record: (9-7) Passing Offense: 4th, 246.9 yds/gm, 32 TDs Rushing Offense: 4th, 146.4 yds/gm, 15 TDs Scoring Offense: 6th, 26.0 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating Daunte Culpepper 454 295 3479 25 11 96.4 Gus Frerotte 65 38 690 7 2 118.1               Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   Moe Williams 174 745 4.3 5 61   Onterrio Smith 107 579 5.4 5 47   Michael Bennett 90 447 5 1 28   Daunte Culpepper 73 422 5.8 4 42                 Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Randy Moss 111 1632 14.7 17 72   Moe Williams 65 644 9.9 3 42   Kelly Campbell 25 522 20.9 4 72   Nate Burleson 29 455 15.7 2 52   Jimmy Kleinsasser 46 401 8.7 4 19   D'Wayne Bates 15 151 10.1 1 18   Michael Bennett 12 132 11 0 40   Onterrio Smith 15 129 8.6 0 20

2004 Fantasy Outlook
Coaches: Mike Tice (HC), Scott Linehan (OC), Ted Cottrell (DC)
Passing SOS: 8th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)
Rushing SOS: 26th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)

While the passing game may grab the highlights its the Vikings rushing attack that has been the quiet leader. They ranked 1st in '02 thanks in large part to Culpepper's 600+ yds and 10 TDs, and used a quad-approach (Williams, Bennett, Smith, Culpepper) in '03 to finish fourth. You have to wonder if defenses are so caught up trying to stop Culpepper and Moss that they forget about the ground game...? Perhaps defenses are still shell-shocked from Moss' rookie year (1998) when the Vikings set the all-time NFL record for points in a season with Moss ringing up 17 TDs in the process. My point being the Vikes are not only capable of passing, but running as well; and with that kind of combo its no surprise that several prognosticators are predicting big things for the Minnesota offense in '04. The system remains the same, but the expectation of a healthy Michael Bennett and the addition of Marcus Robinson in the #2 WR role could lead to a repeat performance of '98. While I do like the prospect of a big season from Michael Bennett running behind a great starting five (O-line depth is a question mark), I'm still a little curious to see how much production the Vikings get from their #2 receiver.

Quarterbacks: Daunte Culpepper, Gus Frerotte, Shaun Hill
Its difficult to say anything negative about Culpepper. I suppose you can criticize his low passing TD totals in 02 (18) but you have to remember he did rush for 10 TDs that season... that's pretty good. He did miss a string of games in '01 and sat out 2 games last year but I doubt any of that is going to make much difference in your fantasy draft. He'll likely be the first QB taken because he deserves to be. He improved his TD-to-INT ratio last year (25-11)... he's got the best play-making WR in the game... he's a lock to rush for at least 400 yds... and this will be his fifth season as a starter. There's already been chatter about letting Culpepper throw deep more often this year because he's demonstrated an improvement in reading defenses. This could lead to a monstorous year for Culpepper if Marcus Robinson, who's made some big plays in the past, can stay healthy. A lot of upside with Culpepper and I envision him having his best yardage season to date.

Good ole' head-buttin Gus Frerotte will be nice Culpepper handcuff and would make a solid 3rd QB on your roster. This will be his 2nd year in the system and just like most backup QBs in Minnesota, he performed well when given the opportunity. In two starts against San Francisco and Atlanta he rolled up 506 yds and 6 TDs. Players like Frerotte with so much upside potential will sometimes have more value than low-level starters at their particular position. Frerotte is one of those "high-value" guys.

Projected Stats
Daunte Culpepper - 4,040 yds, 29 TDs, 13 INTs; 452 rush yds, 3 TDs; 381.2 FF Pts
Gus Frerotte - 133 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT; 0 rush yds, 0 TDs; 10.7 FF Pts

Running Backs: Michael Bennett, Moe Williams, Onterrio Smith, Mewelde Moore
H-Backs: Jim Kleinsasser
By all reports, Michael Bennett is completely healthy and should be the lead back in the Vikings offense this season. He missed most of '03 with a foot injury causing headaches for fantasy owners as RBBC reigned supreme. Moe Williams and Onterio Smith picked up the slack with Williams making the biggest impact on the ground and through the air totaling 1389 yds and 8 TDs.

Because there are still concerns about Bennett's foot holding up throughout an entire season, I don't think the Vikings will let Bennett "carry-the-load" from day one. However, he's already impressed head coach Mike Tice with his mini-camp play causing Tice to name him "the man" for '04. Bennett is a good fit for the Vikings style of offense which uses a lot of spread formations and 3-WR sets. He's game-breaker with terrific speed however, he does lack a power-running game which is why you'll likely see doses of Onterrio Smith throughout the season. Smith was learning on job last year. The rookie went through some growing pains trying to pickup the offense and pickup the blitz but did manage a couple nice fantasy performances late in the season against Chicago (148 yds) and the Chiefs (146 yds, 3 TDs). He's a very capable back in this offense but is currently third in line for playing time behind Bennett and Moe Williams. To handicap the rushing production now, you have to give Bennett roughly 16-18 carries a game with Onterrio Smith getting one drive per half and Moe Williams returning to the third-down/short-yardage role. A committee situation for sure, but not as bad as you might think.

Projected Stats
Michael Bennett - 1,239 yds, 6 TDs; 20 rec, 179 yds, 1 TD; 183.8 FF Pts
Moe Williams - 213 yds, 5 TDs; 58 rec, 466 yds, 2 TDs; 109.9 FF Pts
Onterrio Smith - 336 yds, 1 TD; 11 rec, 77 yds, 0 TDs; 47.3 FF Pts

Wide Receivers: Randy Moss, Marcus Robinson, Kelly Campbell, Nate Burleson, Keenan Howry, Kenny Clark
Randy Moss is part of the "Big-Three" wide receiver group which also contains Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison. Anyway you look at it, Moss won't last long in your draft and he's got the numbers to back it up. He led all fantasy receivers in '03 with 1632 yds & 17 TDs. He's been in the league for six years and already has 515 catches, 8,365 yards and 77 touchdowns. The only real cause for concern is Randy Moss' injured left foot, which bothered him at the end of last year and most of the offseason. He'll likely be limited in camp but isn't expected to miss any game time in the regular season so don't let words like "plantar fasciitis" discourage you from taking him at the end of Round 1.

With the Ravens hot after Terrell Owens this preseason, the Vikings swooped in and picked up Marcus Robinson who is scheduled to be plugged right into the starting lineup opposite Moss. I don't blame the Vikings for doing so... their production from this position has been awful the last couple years; Derrick Alexander? Yuck. Nate Burleson, Kelly Campbell and D'Wayne Bates combined to catch just 69 passes last season. The question becomes, is Marcus Robinson the man for the job? He is one of the better deep threats in the league, when healthy. That's the problem... the guy hasn't been healthy or demonstrated any consistency to post numbers since his 84 receptions, 1400 yds, and 9 TDs back in '99. That's four straight seasons of fantasy mediocrity, folks... and the "mediocre" label is generous. Others are predicting 70+ catches for Robinson and while I would agree with the potential, his injury risk negates much of that high-end upside in my view.

The talent behind Moss and Robinson is thin at best. Campbell and Burleson have show flashes but need to improve their route-running in order to give Robinson a run for his money. The Vikings can make due without depth at the WR position because the have the most talented WR in the game and good receivers out of the backfield.

Projected Stats
Randy Moss - 105 rec, 1,446 yds, 14 TDs; 228.6 FF Pts
Marcus Robinson - 55 rec, 680 yds, 5 TDs; 98.0 FF Pts
Nate Burleson - 28 rec, 394 yds, 2 TDs; 51.4 FF Pts
Kelly Campbell - 23 rec, 365 yds, 2 TDs; 48.5 FF Pts

Tight Ends: Jim Kleinsasser, Jermaine Wiggins
Make sure you're league defines what Jim Kleinsasser is. He can be classified as a RB, H-Back, or TE; or a combination. Most leagues will consider him a TE. In any case, Kleinsasser is a key component to the Vikings offense and if you are one of those owners who likes to see how a player performed over the last half of the previous year, then take note. Through the first eight games of 2003, Kleinsasser had just 12 receptions. In the final eight games, Kleinsasser caught 34 passes... almost tripling his production in the 2nd half. Perhaps Culpepper is learning not to force the ball to Randy at every instance and will use the TE more in the passing game this season...? Something to keep your eye on.

Jermaine Wiggins is a solid receiver that the Vikings picked up as a free agent from Carolina this offseason. He's has limited fantasy value at the moment.

Projected Stats
Jim Kleinsasser - 36 rec, 332 yds, 3 TDs; 51.2 FF Pts
Jermaine Wiggins - 8 rec, 87 yds, TD; 8.7 FF Pts

Minnesota T.O.D Discussion on the FF Today Board