There have been a lot of Adrian Peterson updates all offseason. At first, conventional wisdom said he wasn't likely to be ready for the season opener. Everyone is more optimistic now.
The reality is that we don't know when Peterson will be back. Here's what we do know, courtesy of Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier.
"I don't know if we'll put him on the practice field anytime soon when we get to Mankato," Frazier told Judd Zulgad on ESPN Radio. "But everything indicates there's a very good chance he may be ready for that Jacksonville game (the season opener.) We're still far enough out that you really can't say that right now."
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Peterson is unlikely to practice to start training camp -- which could briefly put him on the physically unable to perform -- but that's a procedural move true of a lot of rehabbing players. The Vikings will carefully ramp up work to see if he can get ready for Week 1. Even if Peterson does play the opener, fantasy owners may not love how he's used.
Tom Pelissero wrote that Toby Gerhart is likely to carry the load early in the season even if Peterson is playing. The Vikings will be protective of their huge investment in Peterson. The hardest part for Frazier is holding Peterson back from doing too much, too fast.
"It's a challenge because he does things a little bit different," Frazier said. "When you compare him to other guys that have had ACL injuries, he's just so far ahead of where they would be at the same time."
Quotes like that make it easy to imagine Peterson taking snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
