Minnesota Prepares For Detroit

Brett Better Come Looking To Go Big Early

Childress Better Call Some Passing Plays In The Redzone!

Allen Could Use A Game Like Last Game

Peterson Needs To Keep On Trucking

The Vikings will spend this week telling everyone within earshot that they aren’t taking the Detroit Lions lightly. They will talk about how their games against the Lions are always hard fought and that winning in the NFC North is never easy.





It will be in their best interest if they listen to the lip service they deliver to the media.



After losing to New Orleans and Miami, the Vikings can ill afford to give anything less than a full effort on Sunday when they play host to Detroit. The Vikings have dominated this series—they haven’t lost to the Lions at home since 1997 - but given the struggles of this offense to score points nothing is an automatic.




That could be especially true because the Lions seem to be gaining confidence.




Detroit is 0-2 but has played close games against Chicago (19-14) and Philadelphia (35-32). The additions of defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes), defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh(notes) and running back Jahvid Best(notes) among others has improved the roster of a team that hasn’t won on the road in 21 games.





The Vikings, meanwhile, are a team that started this season as one of the favorites in the NFC after losing in overtime to the Saints in the conference championship game last season.





The issue is that so far the Vikings have only 19 points and after a magical season in 2009, Brett Favre(notes) has thrown four interceptions and only one touchdown.





The feeling among many Vikings observers is the soon-to-be 41-year-old isn’t having as much fun as he did a year ago—Favre’s birthday is Oct. 10—and one big reason is the absence of wide receiver Sidney Rice(notes) for at least half the season.





Rice, who presented Favre with a 6-foot-4 target, had hip surgery in August. Bernard Berrian(notes) was expected to pick up much of the slack in Rice’s absence but that hasn’t been the case.





Berrian, who is 6-foot-1 and known more for his speed than his physical play, has only three receptions for 27 yards in two games. Two passes thrown his way Sunday ended up being intercepted.





The Vikings have explored trading for suspended San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson(notes) but that fell through. They did make a move to sign 6-foot-4 Hank Baskett(notes) on Wednesday after he was released by Philadelphia.





“I think Bernard’s heart is in the right place,” Favre said of Berrian. “I believe in my mind he did all he could do. If I felt otherwise, I wouldn’t throw it to him. We go to bat with who we’ve got, me included. That’s the way it is. I’m not going to look out to my left or look out to my right and say, ‘I’m not going to throw it over there.’ I’m not going to play that way.”





Coach Brad Childress and Berrian both swear the receiver is on the same page with Favre and that chemistry isn’t an issue. If that is the case, Favre, Berrian and several of their teammates are going to need to take a big step forward on Sunday and prove they have solved some of their issues.





The Vikings will have a bye week following that game, so a failure to right the ship could make for a miserable off week in Minnesota.





Series History: 98th meeting. Vikings lead regular-season series, 65-30-2, and are 18-2 in the past 20 games against Detroit. The Vikings have won the past 12 games against the Lions at the Metrodome. Minnesota is 14-3 in its last 17 regular-season home games. Vikings coach Brad Childress is 7-1 against the Lions.





NOTES, QUOTES



• DE Jared Allen(notes) has 30 sacks with Minnesota, a team record for the most in the first three seasons as a Viking.





• QB Brett Favre needs two touchdown passes to become the first player in NFL history to throw for 500 and 275 yards passing to become the first to throw for 70,000 yards.





• Favre broke the NFL record for most consecutive starts in his first game against Detroit as a member of the Vikings on Sept. 20, 2009. Favre threw two touchdown passes and had a 115.3 passer rating in a 27-13 victory.





• RB Adrian Peterson ran for 133 yards against the Lions on Nov. 15, 2009, making him the seventh Viking to reach 4,000 rushing yards in a career. That set a team record and tied for fourth in NFL history for fewest games needed to reach 4,000.





• DT Kevin Williams(notes) had a career-high four sacks against Detroit on Oct. 12, 2008, which tied for the most in a single game in 2008 and ranks tied for second in franchise history.





• LB Chad Greenway(notes) intercepted two passes off Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford(notes) and returned them for a combined 49 yards when the Vikings played the Lions on Sept. 20, 2009. That performance earned Greenway NFC Player of the Week honors.





• The Vikings have swept the Lions eight times since 2000 and Detroit hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown on the Vikings in the past six meetings, dating to Oct. 8, 2006.





• The Vikings have an all-time record of 165-123-5 against the NFC North and are 91-54-1 in home games against the division.





By The Numbers: 65—Victories by the Vikings over the Lions, their most against any opponent.





Quote To Note: “Have I seen improvement from Game 1 to Game 2? I did. Just want to keep being incremental. There’s always something we can get better on and those guys take it to heart in there, and I know they will.”—Coach Brad Childress talking about the Vikings’ offense and if he saw improvement from the first game to the second.





STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL



The Vikings attempted to add San Diego holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson in a trade but were unable to work an agreement by the 4 p.m. deadline on Wednesday.





The 6-5 Jackson, who would have been eligible to play for the Vikings on Oct. 17, would have provided Brett Favre with the exact type of big target he is missing in Sidney Rice. Rice is expected to miss half the season after having hip surgery last month.





The Vikings did add a big receiver, signing 6-4 Hank Baskett. Baskett was released by the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday.





Baskett is far from Jackson’s equal in terms of ability but the fifth-year player will present another option and also provides some insurance. Percy Harvin(notes) has been slowed by a strained right hip and also is battling another round of migraine headaches. Bernard Berrian also landed on the injury report Wednesday because of a knee issue.





That means the Vikings’ healthy receivers are Baskett, Greg Camarillo(notes) and Greg Lewis(notes).





Player Notes





• WR Bernard Berrian was limited in practice Wednesday because of a knee injury.





• CB Chris Cook(notes), who is recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee, was able to take part in all of practice Wednesday and might be able to make his NFL debut Sunday.





• CB Cedric Griffin(notes), who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last season’s NFC title game, is doing limited work in practice but probably will sit out again Sunday against Detroit. Griffin, like Cook, should return after the bye.





• WR Percy Harvin aggravated a hip strain last Sunday against the Dolphins and also has had another recurrence of migraine headaches. He did not practice Wednesday.





• DT Jimmy Kennedy(notes) (knee) is back practicing for the second consecutive week and took part in all drills Wednesday. Kennedy hasn’t played in the first two games.





• LB Ben Leber(notes) was limited Wednesday because of a back injury but said he will be good to go on Sunday.





• OT Bryant McKinnie(notes) (dislocated finger) did not miss any of practice Wednesday and played in last Sunday’s game despite the injury.





• QB Brett Favre continues to be listed on the injury report because of soreness in his surgically repaired ankle but he hasn’t missed any practice time.





• C John Sullivan(notes) (calf) did not miss any practice time Wednesday.





Game Plan: The Vikings will look to get their offense on track against a Lions defense that has given up 54 points in its first two games, including 35 in a loss last Sunday to Philadelphia.





The Vikings offensive line figures to have its hands full with rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and end Kyle Vanden Bosch putting pressure on Brett Favre. Minnesota’s greatest success so far has come on the ground, as Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson is off to a good start.





The Lions are giving up an average of 131.5 yards per game on the ground—27th in the NFL—and Peterson has rushed for 232 yards in two games, putting him third in the league.





Minnesota needs to get quarterback Brett Favre on track. He has thrown only one touchdown and four interceptions and hasn’t developed a rhythm with any of his wide receivers.





This includes Bernard Berrian, who was expected to be Minnesota’s go-to receiver with Sidney Rice sidelined. Berrian has only three receptions for 27 yards.





The Lions defense has given up 304.5 passing yards per game, putting them near the bottom of the league in that category as well.





Defensively, the Vikings surrendered 120 rushing yards to the Dolphins on Sunday. That’s a rarity for one of the better run defense in the NFL. Shaun Hill(notes) is expected to start at quarterback for the Lions in place of the injured Matthew Stafford.





The Vikings defense is going to have to be aware of rookie running back Jahvid Best at all times because of his play-making ability. If wide receiver Nate Burleson(notes) (ankle) is unavailable for the Lions that will take a weapon from a passing attack that also features Calvin Johnson(notes) and Brandon Pettigrew(notes).





Matchups To Watch: Vikings CB Lito Sheppard(notes), who is playing the left corner in the nickel package, vs. Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who has caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown this season. The Miami Dolphins had immediate success against the Vikings nickel package last Sunday by going right at Sheppard on the Dolphins’ first play from scrimmage. The result was a 46-yard pass completion from Chad Henne(notes) to 6-foot-4 Brandon Marshall(notes) that set up a touchdown. You think the Lions aren’t going to notice that? Johnson is 6-5 and stands to create trouble for Sheppard or Asher Allen(notes), who is starting at left corner. Sheppard is only 5-10 and Allen is 5-9. Antoine Winfield(notes), the starter at right corner who moves inside in the nickel, also is 5-9 but he is the Vikings’ best cornerback. If Chris Cook (6-2) and Cedric Griffin (6-0) remain out, look for Johnson to be a primary target. Cook could provide some much-needed size against Johnson if he can play.





Vikings LT Bryant McKinnie, who played last week despite a dislocated finger, vs. Lions DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, who has 1.5 sacks this season after being signed to a four-year, $26 million free-agent deal this offseason. McKinnie has had issues at times with top-flight defensive ends and he now will be facing Vanden Bosch and Chicago’s Julius Peppers(notes) twice a season. This will be McKinnie’s first test. The key for McKinnie, who is in his ninth season, is simply showing consistency because he has the athletic ability to be a very good player. Vanden Bosch plays with a motor that never quits and will spend the afternoon using a variety of moves to try to get around the 6-8, 335-pound McKinnie.





Injury Impact: Cornerback Chris Cook could make his NFL regular-season debut, but it looks as if Cedric Griffin will remain out until after the bye week. Wide receiver Percy Harvin is dealing with a hip injury and migraines, meaning he could be a long shot to play. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian already is struggling and considering his game is based on speed the last thing he needs is a knee problem.

Vikings Running Out Of Time To Make A Deal For Vincent Jackson

Vikings running out of time to make a deal for Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson

ShareretweetEmailPrintAt this point, it looks like it will take a Hail Mary to get a Vincent Jackson(notes) trade done before this afternoon’s 4 p.m. deadline.





The Minnesota Vikings need to address their problems at wide receiver, but Jackson has high salary demands and the San Diego Chargers aren’t about to give away the suspended star. That leaves the situation hanging in the balance.





Rumors have been flying for a couple of days and it’s impossible to rule anything out, but once Sidney Rice(notes) returns, the Vikings will have two players who are pretty much the same. Is that what they need?





So, the Vikings went a less costly route, at least for now, signing Hank Baskett(notes) after he was cut loose by the Philadelphia Eagles. Baskett was released by the Eagles so they would have room to sign running back Joique Bell(notes) off the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills.





Rice is out until at least midseason for the Vikings and now Percy Harvin(notes) is battling a hip injury that could keep him on the sideline for a bit. The Vikings’ defense has played very well through two games but the offense needs some help for Brett Favre(notes), who has been misfiring.





Baskett has experience with the Vikings in the past. He can also help on special teams. The big question is whether or not big help will arrive in the form of Jackson, who would be eligible to play after two more games on the suspended list in Week 5.

Miami Dolphins Defense Smacks Brett Favre Into Submission In Minnesota

    The Miami Dolphins are back after a narrow 14-10 victory in Minnesota. The defense put on a dominant performance highlighted by Jason Allen's two interceptions and Cameron Wake's game altering forced fumble leading to a touchdown.



Let's break down the game in its entirety as the Dolphins look to continue their success this season with the New York Jets at home next week.









ESPN

Individual Stats

Miami Passing



C. Henne – 9/15 114 YDS, TD (106.0 QB Rating)



Minnesota Passing



B. Favre – 22/36 225 YDS, 3 INT (44.3 QB Rating)




Miami Rushing



R. Brown – 13 RUSH, 80 YDS, FUM



R. Williams – 10 RUSH, 30 YDS, FUM



Minnesota Rushing



A. Peterson – 28 RUSH, 145 YDS, TD



T. Gerhart – 4 RUSH, 10 YDS



Miami Receiving



B. Marshall – 4 REC, 71 YDS



B. Hartline – 3 REC, 28 YDS, TD



Minnesota Receiving



V. Shiancoe – 6 REC, 86 YDS



A. Peterson – 5 REC, 41 YDS



Miami Defense



J.Allen – 2 INT, 11 TACK, 3 PD



V. Davis – INT, 6 TACK, 2 PD



C. Wake – FF, 1.5 SACK,



K. Langford – SACK



R. Starks – 0.5 SACK



K. Misi – TD





Minnesota Defense



J. Allen – SACK



K. Williams – SACK



C. Greenway – 8 TACK, 2 TFL





Grades

Quarterback – Although on paper Chad Henne played an efficient, mistake-free game, there is major room for improvement. He still locks onto receivers and the defensive line has learned to read his eyes, which resulted in a few balls batted down at the line yesterday.



Still, he faced a hostile road crowd and managed the game pretty well. He connected on his first throw, a 50 yard bomb to Brandon Marshall. I’d like to see him have more opportunities down the field because he throws a pretty good deep ball.



Grade: C+



Backs – Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown played well until two major mistakes. They both had costly fumbles, especially Ricky, who coughed up the ball on the Dolphins own one-yard line.



Grade: D



Receivers/Tight Ends – Brandon Marshall proved why he’s one of the game’s most dominant receivers on Sunday. He beat his man for a 50-yard strike on the Dolphins first offensive play. Brian Hartline ran a perfect route on his touchdown grab in the first quarter.



Grade: A-



Offensive Line – The line handled an excellent Vikings front with efficiency. Jake Long played superb against Jared Allen. The pass protection was solid, giving up two sacks, with both resulting from Henne holding the ball too long.



Run blocking was pretty good, but the Vikings stacked the line for most of the game so production was limited. They did an excellent job on Ronnie Brown’s 46-yard burst off the Dolphins own goal line.



Grade: B+



Defense Line - Brett Favre was beat up, harassed, and hit all day. They did an amazing job in the passing game, but struggled to contain Adrian Peterson in the running game. He racked up 145 yards on the day and often broke into the second level of the defense with ease.



Grade: C+



Linebackers – Cameron Wake is impressing more and more with every game. He forced a game-deciding fumble for a touchdown and also was in on another sack with Randy Starks. Karlos Dansby played solid as usual, providing the touchdown saving hit on the Dolphins goal-line stand in the second half.



The one negative was the missed tackles in the running game. I know Peterson is a load, but they have to work on tackling technique (Misi, Wake). Arm tackles are not going to bring down backs like AP.



Grade: A -



Secondary - To think that this unit was the biggest question mark heading into the season. Jason Allen (2 INT) looks like a shutdown corner in this man-heavy scheme. Wait, did I really just write that? He had the game of his career yesterday. Vontae Davis is looking like a Pro Bowl corner and didn’t give up anything to Favre. He’s aggressive, instinctive, and reminds me of a more physical Patrick Surtain.



Grade: A+



Special Teams - Dan Carpenter didn’t get much action Sunday. Brandon Fields was great as usual, pinning the Vikings back within their own 20 several times. The return game wasn’t much of a factor, and return coverage was excellent, forcing a fumble in the second half.



Grade: B



Coaching – Defensively, Mike Ryan and crew proved again to have a huge edge. Favre was never comfortable at any point yesterday and much of that goes to the various coverages thrown at him. Offensively, there are some issues. It still appears the coaches are lacking confidence in Henne. Outside of the bomb to Marshall, it was an extremely conservative game plan.



What frustrated me the most was the decision to not try to score with 3 timeouts and a minute remaining in the first half. Play to win the game!



Coaching B+



Overall – It was another gritty, ugly, win. But any win is a good win in this league and the fact that both wins came on the road is all the more impressive. We might not know how good this team is just yet, but we do know one thing. They are physical and mentally tough.



The defense looks absolutely dominant. Wake is going to get double teamed as the season progresses, so it will be important that other guys become factors in pass rushing situations. The secondary has been incredible thus far.



Offensively, I’m a little worried about Chad Henne. He doesn’t seem like he has all the confidence in the world. The fact that the coaches don’t let him play is disturbing. It’s time to let the kid give it all he has and if he screws up, so be it. At times he was a gun slinger last season and I haven’t seen any of that yet this year. They should open up the play-calling against a banged up Jets defense at home next week.



It was a great win.



Next Week: Sunday night against the Jets at Sun Life Stadium

Recap Of Vikings Loss To Dolphins

Adrian Peterson could not be contained by the Dolphins defense but there were too many mistakes and miscues for the Vikings to overcome in their home opener. The result was a 14-10 victory for the Dolphins at Mall of America Field on Sunday, as a visiting team won a regular season game at the Vikings home stadium for the 1st time since December of 2008.

The mistakes and miscues added up for the Vikings, as they were penalized 7 times for 44 yards and turned the ball over 4 times. While one Vikings superstar - Peterson – was up to his old tricks (28 carries for 145 yards and 1 TD), another Vikings superstar just couldn’t get it going. Favre lost a fumble in the endzone that was recovered for a TD and he threw 3 INTs.

Usually dominant at home, where they accumulated a 9-0 record last year, the Vikings were held scoreless in the 1st half. Favre drove the Vikings from their own 29 to Miami’s 32 in just 9 plays on the game’s opening drive, but a decision to go for it on 4th down ended up costing the Vikings points. Miami’s defense held and the offense immediately drove on the Vikings defense to take a quick 7-0 lead.

Both teams scored TDs in the 3rd quarter. Miami scored when LB Koa Misi fell on Favre’s endzone fumble and the Vikings scored when LB Erin Henderson recovered a Miami fumble forced by his older brother, E.J., near the Dolphins goal line. Peterson plowed his way into the endzone 2 plays after the Hendersons combined to turn Miami over.

The Vikings held Miami to just 1 first down and 4 total plays on the ensuing drive, giving the offense possession after a punt on the Vikings 11-yardline. That’s where the Vikings relied on their workhorse, Peterson, to take over. Peterson accounted for 62 yards on the Vikings drive and after a sack of Favre, Ryan Longwell came on to salvage a few points by splitting the uprights on a 28-yard try that cut Miami’s lead to 14-10.

The Vikings defense rose up 3 more times from that point on but the Vikings offense wasn’t able to capitalize. Following Longwell’s FG, Minnesota forced the Dolphins to a 3-and-out. But Favre followed with an INT, giving the Dolphins possession on their own 34. One play later, the Vikings defense forced another Dolphins fumble and Favre and Co. took possession on Miami’s 24.

Five plays after the recovered fumble, the Vikings had a 4th and goal from the 1, but Miami’s defense bowed up and stopped Peterson, giving their offense possession on the 1.

From there, the Dolphins picked up 1 first down via a holding penalty against the Vikings defense, but DT Kevin Williams batted down a Chad Henne pass on 3rd down, which gave the Purple another chance to mount a game-winning drive.

The Vikings took over after a punt on their own 45. Favre drove the team down to the Dolphins 31 on 3 plays, but from there he threw 3 incompletions and eventually the ball was turned over to Miami, where they were able to kneel on the ball and run out the clock.

The loss drops Minnesota to 0-2, the same record they had in 2008 before they won 10 of their next 14 on the way to a division title.

Dolphins Decimate Vikings Offense

Adruian Peterson Gets Stopped By Carlos Dansby To Lose The Game

Final Score:

 
Vikings:10                                                   Dolphins:14

Vontae Davis Intercept Percy Harvin In The 2nd Qrt.

Favre was intercepted three times and the Miami Dolphins defense stopped Adrian Peterson on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to preserve a 14-10 victory over the Vikings on Sunday.



After throwing two interceptions at the Metrodome all of last season, Favre accounted for four turnovers in the 2010 home opener, with the other a fumble on a sack by Cameron Wake in the end zone that Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi recovered to give Miami a 14-0 lead in the third quarter.



"It's just hard to repeat those type of numbers and statistics and it's hard to repeat wins," Favre said of 2009, when the Vikings went 9-0 at home and he threw 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions to lead them to the NFC title game.



The offense had trouble clicking at the start of last season too, but games against pushovers Cleveland and Detroit helped the Vikings start 2-0. This year, with openers against the New Orleans Saints and Dolphins, and with star receiver Sidney Rice out with a hip injury and several other key players missing big chunks of time in the preseason with ailments, the Vikings have dug themselves quite a hole with sloppy performances on offense.



"It was more what we didn't do than what they did, but I give those guys credit," Favre said.



The 40-year-old Favre had his worst day as a Viking with a 44.3 quarterback rating. Two of his interceptions came at the Miami goal line. One came on a tipped ball and another on what appeared to be miscommunication with Bernard Berrian. But the end result is the same -- the Vikings are 0-2, with a game against the Detroit Lions before a daunting post-bye schedule awaits.



"I don't think any of these guys are panicked," coach Brad Childress said. "But I do feel like the urgency will definitely pick up."



This game was every bit the hard-nosed, grind-it-out slugfest it was expected to be. The Vikings offense came into the week out of sync in the passing game and promised to feature Peterson more on the ground, which is where the Dolphins have made their living since Tony Sparano took over as coach.



Peterson rushed for 145 yards for the Vikings, who forced two fumbles of their own, one that set up Peterson's 1-yard plunge to cut the deficit to 14-7 late in the third quarter.



But Miami's defense never wavered, holding the Vikings to a field goal in the fourth quarter and then getting the big stop with the Vikings threatening to take the lead late in the game.



On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Vontae Davis, Karlos Dansby and a host of Dolphins burst through the Vikings line and stuffed Peterson just short of the goal line. Favre had one more crack at it when they got the ball back with 1:42 to play, but threw incomplete on fourth down at the Dolphins 27 to end it.



"As long as we believe in ourselves we feel like we have a chance to win a game when we go into it," Ronnie Brown said. "We're coached that way each week. I think if we continue to go in and do that then the sky's the limit."



The Dolphins (2-0) set a defensive tone by deferring instead of receiving after winning the coin toss. They stopped the Vikings on fourth down at the Miami 26 on the first possession when Randy Starks batted down Favre's pass at the line.



"It was a great stand on the defensive side of the ball," Dansby said. "It was totally disrespect, and we showed them today that we can play defense."



Chad Henne hit Brandon Marshall for a 46-yard pass on the next play, and Ricky Williams and Brown bulled their way into the red zone with four wildcat plays. Henne hit Brian Hartline for the TD and a 7-0 lead, and Miami's offense was put on ice for the rest of the game.



The Vikings held the Dolphins to 226 yards of offense and had the ball for almost 13 minutes longer than Miami. But just like in the NFC title game loss to New Orleans last year, turnovers were the difference.



Jason Allen had two interceptions and Davis picked one off after Percy Harvin tipped the ball up in the air at the goal line.



"When you play teams of this caliber and you make those kind of plays in those situations, it validates what you're trying to do," said Sparano, whose Dolphins are 2-0 for the first time since 2002. "I think our football team is getting better in a lot of areas."



Henne was 9 for 15 for 114 yards and Marshall had four catches for 71 yards. Brown and Williams combined for 110 yards on 23 carries.



Visanthe Shiancoe had six catches for 86 yards.



"It's a 14-game season now and we're sitting at the bottom of it," Favre said. "What we do with it from here remains to be seen. It won't be any easier."



Game notes

Wake finished with 1 1/2 sacks for Miami. "We felt we had to get in here and announce our presence some point in this game early on," Sparano said. ... The Dolphins are home against the Jets and Patriots before the bye. ... Harvin aggravated a right hip injury and said he will have an MRI on Monday. He had five catches for 32 yards. ... After the Week 4 bye, the Vikings go to the Jets, host Dallas and are at Green Bay and New England.

Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football Standings

After a disappointing loss in the opener in New Orleans, the Vikings return to Minnesota for their home opener against the Dolphins. The team came out of the opener with far more questions than answers on offense, which makes gauging the offensive stars’ fantasy potential this week a little tougher.



Brett Favre

Favre was unquestionably rusty in Week 1, completing just 15-of-27 pass attempts for 171 yards and 1 TD against a Saints defense that surprisingly didn’t blitz him like they had in the NFC Championship Game. It’ll be interesting to see how the Dolphins – another team that features a 3-4 defensive alignment – approaches things in Week 2. Miami fielded the 3rd worst defense in the NFL last year in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs, although that’s in part because they surrendered a league-high 5 QB rushing TDs. But they managed to hold only 4 opposing QBs under 225 passing yards and allowed 10 passing TDs in their final 5 games of last year. They held Trent Edwards to 139 yards and 1 TD a week ago, but you and 10 of your friends could probably do the same, so I’m not putting much stock in that. Dolphins rookie DE Jared Odrick won’t play because of a leg injury, and as long as the Vikings can contain ILB Karlos Dansby, Favre should have plenty of time to pick apart a very vulnerable secondary. Favre recorded 288 passing yards per game and an absurd 21-2 TD-INT ratio in regular season home games last year, so I like his chances in this one.

Adrian Peterson

Peterson ran hard and gained 4.6 yards per carry before the offense bogged down in last week’s 2nd half, and you can bet he’ll get more than just 19 attempts this week against the Fish. Miami trotted out a mediocre run defense that yielded 11 RB rushing scores and just under 100 rushing yards per game last year. They added a star at LB in Dansby, but their other starting ILB, Channing Crowder, has a mysterious groin injury that could end his season, and they’ll miss Odrick up front, where they feature 3 new starting lineman who all lack experience. The Vikings offensive line should have a clear advantage in the battle of the trenches. In a matchup of Peterson vs. anything described as “mediocre,” you have to give a huge advantage to Peterson. With closer to 30 carries in Week 2, AP should wind up with a stat line more like what you’d expect from your #1 or #2 overall fantasy pick.

Percy Harvin

Perhaps because he, too, missed a significant portion of training camp, Harvin looked out of whack in the opener. Playing more on the outside, as opposed to strictly in the slot, Harvin struggled to form a connection with Favre, and the two misfired on several plays that could have gone for big yardage. Unoffically, Harvin was targeted on 5 different occasions and only caught 1 of them. With another week of practice under their belts, I fully expect to see Harvin emerge as Favre’s go-to WR in Week 2. Only 5 teams allowed more than the 18 WR TDs surrendered by the Dolphins secondary in 2009, and they did nothing to upgrade the unit during the offseason (outside of acquiring nickel CB Benny Sapp from the Vikings). Look for a nice bounceback from Harvin this week, who remains an excellent fantasy WR2 option.

Bernard Berrian

Berrian didn’t exactly step up in the absence of Sidney Rice in Week 1, but I’m willing to give him the same benefit of the doubt as Favre and Harvin. It was probably unfair to ask Berrian to completely replace everything Rice did for this team in 2009 anyways, as the two players have completely different skillsets. Berrian’s at his best when stretching the defense deep downfield, and assuming the Dolphins don’t throw an aggressive blitz package at Favre this week, he should have time to do just that in Week 2. Don’t overlook the fact that the Saints also employ two of the best cover CB in the business – something the ‘Fins certainly can’t boast in Vontae Davis and Jason Allen. Berrian has unquestionably plummeted back to Earth from a fantasy perspective, but owners who stick by him as a flex option this week could be rewarded with a long TD in a bounceback effort.

Greg Camarillo

Camarillo barely saw the field in Week 1 and has admitted he’s still getting acclimated to his new offense. He’ll have a little extra motivation this week against his former teammates, but everything depends on how fast he can pick up the offense. In limited duty last week, Camarillo looked like he’ll eventually be an asset to this passing game, but it’s still too soon to considering using him in your fantasy lineup.

Visanthe Shiancoe

Outside of Peterson running wild in the 1st half last week, Shiancoe was the only other bright spot during the loss to the Saints. With 4 catches for 76 yards and the lone Vikings TD, Shiancoe was the only thing going for the sputtering passing offense… until he was shut down by Saints safety Roman Harper in the 2nd half. You can fully expect the Dolphins to key on stopping Shiancoe, but as long as Harvin and Berrian are contributing, I’m not confident a defense that allowed 3 different 100-yard games to opposing TEs a year ago can actually accomplish the task. Miami’s starting FS is a raw 2009 5th round draft pick, and SS Yeremiah Bell is better as a run-stopper than he is in coverage. Shiancoe is easily Favre’s most dependable target right now, and he looks like a top-5 fantasy TE for the remainder of the season.

Ryan Longwell

The Dolphins “led” the league in both field goals made against them last year and allowed the 2nd most points to opposing kickers. Longwell should be in your lineup, no questions asked.

Vikings Defense

The addition of Brandon Marshall didn’t make a significant impact for the Dolphins last week, who dinked and dunked their way to just 182 passing yards against the Bills. Miami’s strength is in the running game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, but the Vikings are among the stingiest run defenses in the NFL – particularly at home. Marshall has a clear advantage in size over the Vikings CBs, but a little pressure on Chad Henne should negate most of that advantage. Henne isn’t asked to air it out on a regular basis, so it seems unlikely that Miami will be able to put up a lot of points in this one. The Dolphins do feature one of the best offensive lines in the game, but they allowed roughly 2 sacks per game and served up 19 interceptions in 2009, so there’s potential for plenty of defensive fantasy points here.