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The drama with Adrian Peterson appears to be over.
The fantasy football superstar, who was suspended for most of the 2014 season for reckless or negligent injury to a child, will return to the Vikings and attend OTAs this week according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. It's great news not only for the Minnesota Vikings, but for fantasy fans as well.
Peterson has been a stud in the stat sheets for most of his career at the pro level. In fact, he's rushed for no fewer than 1,266 yards in every season where he's played at least 14 games. That includes a 2012 campaign where he rushed for 2,097 yards despite coming off major knee reconstruction. He's also a touchdown machine, rushing for at least 10 scores in every year of his career prior to 2014. Peterson's success on the field has of course translated into fantasy football stardom, as he's been a regular top-10 finisher among running backs including several top-five finishes.
Barring any further issues with the Vikings, Peterson can now be safely selected among the first five picks in all 2015 fantasy re-drafts. In fact, I have him ranked as the No. 1 overall player ahead of Le'Veon Bell, who has been suspended for the first three games. That's due in large part to A.D.'s track record for producing impressive numbers on the field.
I also see him running mad and having something to prove after what was a tumultuous 2014. Couple that with the advantage he'll have of playing under offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who has aided in the fantasy success of running backs like Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ricky Williams, Frank Gore and LaMont Jordan, and there's a whole lot to like about the 30-year-old running back.
Heck, Matt Asiata finished as a top-20 fantasy runner last season.
Peterson's return to the Minnesota backfield is also great news for the value of sleeper quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, as defenses will now have to respect the run a whole lot more moving forward. For those owners who have Jerick McKinnon in dynasty leagues, well, it looks like you'll have to wait at least a few more seasons to see if there's a return on that investment.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
