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NFL Preseason: Minnesota Vikings vs Oakland Raiders

We’ve made it!  Football is back, and with that comes the over analyzing  of the preseason, trying to find any advantage we can for our upcoming drafts.  Many fantasy champions are  made in the preseason. From analyzing rookies to scoping out all of the off-season moves, I will try to help you prepare as well.   We’re going to start this series by listing  key take aways from last night’s bevy of preseason games.  Keep checking in throughout the day to see more of my analysis from the first round of preseason games!

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Patterson could be a steal this year. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings vs Oakland Raiders

  1. Matt Cassel outplayed Teddy Bridgewater, so for now Bridgewater has no fantasy relevance.  Yes, it would be a great story if Bridgewater could come in and turn the Vikings around enough to make Adrian Peterson want to stay, but as of now, that is just a pipe dream in the Twin Cities.
  2. Cassel went 5 of 6 for 62 yards.  The importance of  Cassel’s short performance is that he moved the ball around well.  He targeted Greg Jennings twice, Cordarrelle Patterson twice, and had Kyle Rudolph inches short of a touchdown.  Bridgewater was not able to move the ball or the offense well in his first game action.
  3. Speaking of Greg Jennings, as long Matt Cassel remains under center, Greg is a viable deep league option.  Jennings’s big games in 2013 came when Matt Cassel started, so he seems to have a great rapport with him.
  4. Cordarrelle Patterson is the clear-cut number 1 receiver for the Vikings.  He had 38 yards on three catches.  Do yourself a favor and draft him.  He could have a monster season if the Vikings finally settle their quarterback situation.
  5. Keep an eye out on both Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden in the Oakland backfield.  They both had good showings, but are ultimately stuck in fantasy purgatory due to injury concerns and poor performances.  That said, either one of them could be a steal if they fall far enough on draft day.