The Viking Age » Ponder http://thevikingage.com A Minnesota Vikings Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:14:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Fantasy Outlook: Christian Ponder http://thevikingage.com/2012/06/12/fantasy-outlook-christian-ponder/ http://thevikingage.com/2012/06/12/fantasy-outlook-christian-ponder/#comments Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:38:19 +0000 Paul Howell http://thevikingage.com/?p=8876 Let’s start things off by saying that obviously you’re not drafting Ponder to anchor your team or to start all 16 games for you. Everyone needs a backup/emergency quarterback and Ponder has a very good chance to be that guy. With the addition of Matt Kalil the Viking offensive line has upgraded from awful to [...]

Fantasy Outlook: Christian Ponder - The Viking Age - The Viking Age - A Minnesota Vikings Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> Let’s start things off by saying that obviously you’re not drafting Ponder to anchor your team or to start all 16 games for you. Everyone needs a backup/emergency quarterback and Ponder has a very good chance to be that guy. With the addition of Matt Kalil the Viking offensive line has upgraded from awful to below average. Harvin is already a top-ten fantasy receiver and Kyle Rudolph has shown promise as a rookie and will continue to improve. Add in the additions of explosive rookies Jarius Wright (a quick, but short, slot receiver) and Greg Childs (a tall playmaker with durability issues) and the Viking’s passing game is already twice as explosive as it was last year. A healthy Adrian Peterson will no doubt help open up the passing game and I fully expect him to be the same Peterson we’ve come to know for the majority of this season.

Dec 18, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) against the New Orleans Saints at the Metrodome. The Saints defeated the Vikings 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

With that said the biggest reason to like Ponder this year is without a doubt the schedule. Ponder will get to play GB and DET twice each, the AFC South (we will ignore HOU in this case due to obvious reasons) and the NFC West (ignoring SF due to their defense). There is no reason to think that Ponder can’t average 230 yards passing and 2 TD a game during those ten games (He will still probably average a turnover a game but can gain those points back with his rushing yards). If Ryan Fitzpatrick can be the 12th best fantasy QB last year averaging around 13 fantasy points, Ponder has the chance to do it this year.

Again, I’m not saying you should start Ponder every single week but if the quarterback you usually start has a tough match-up Ponder could be a good play. Take into account the bye week or a benching late in the season due to your quarterback having already clinched a playoff spot and that’s another couple games Ponder could be of value. I expect Ponder to probably get drafted in only about 10-20 percent of leagues so unless you have another Viking fan in your league you could pass him up and wait to pick him up off waivers after a couple of weeks. Injuries are a definite possibility with Ponder but since you’re not investing much into him it’s not much of a problem. Overall Ponder is a low risk-average reward for those who draft him. He’s not going to win you your league but he can be used as a fill-in quarterback under a few choice situations.

Best case: A top half back-up quarterback (Fitzpatrick last year)
Worst case: A start for no reason quarterback (Colt McCoy last year)

 

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to email me at vikingagefantasy@yahoo.com or reach me on twitter at https://twitter.com/PHowell02

]]> http://thevikingage.com/2012/06/12/fantasy-outlook-christian-ponder/feed/ 0 And With The Third Pick Of The 2012 NFL Draft, The Minnesota Vikings Select… http://thevikingage.com/2012/02/08/and-with-the-third-pick-of-the-2012-nfl-draft-the-minnesota-vikings-select/ http://thevikingage.com/2012/02/08/and-with-the-third-pick-of-the-2012-nfl-draft-the-minnesota-vikings-select/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:59:44 +0000 brianaker http://thevikingage.com/?p=8032   Okay, let’s talk Draft!  As we all know by now, our beloved Vikings have the number three overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.  The big question is what will they do with it?  Will they draft that can’t-miss offensive lineman we need so desperately, to protect our QB Christian Ponder?  Will the Vikes use [...]

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Jan 2, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon (81) walks along the sidelines after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Stanford Cardinals in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Okay, let’s talk Draft!  As we all know by now, our beloved Vikings have the number three overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.  The big question is what will they do with it?  Will they draft that can’t-miss offensive lineman we need so desperately, to protect our QB Christian Ponder?  Will the Vikes use that precious pick to take the big play, deep threat wide receiver the team needs so badly?  Or will we see our team draft a lock down defensive back at the number three slot in the first round?  Might we even see a trade down to some team looking to land Robert Griffin III?  Whatever the Minnesota Vikings do in the upcoming Draft, it all really hinges on what the St. Louis Rams do with their number two overall pick.  That’s right the St. Louis Rams could very well determine the future of the Minnesota Vikings!
Most of the Mock Drafts have the Rams taking outstanding Oklahoma State University Wide Receiver, Justin Blackmon.  If St. Louis does indeed draft Blackmon the most obvious pick for our Vikings would be USC Offensive Tackle, Matt Kalil.  Kalil seems to be a LOCK as a starter right off the bat, and should definitely give Ponder more time to make things happen with the offense.  I’m sure Adrian Peterson wouldn’t mind having the young Kalil’s 6’7”, 295 lb., frame on the line either!  So that’s the SURE bet…Rams go Blackmon, Vikings go Kalil.  Done and done!  Unless…the Rams pass on Blackmon and take our boy Kalil at number two.  Then what do we do??

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]]> http://thevikingage.com/2012/02/08/and-with-the-third-pick-of-the-2012-nfl-draft-the-minnesota-vikings-select/feed/ 0 Monday RE: action: Vikings Ponder Performance http://thevikingage.com/2011/10/31/monday-re-action-vikings-ponder-performance/ http://thevikingage.com/2011/10/31/monday-re-action-vikings-ponder-performance/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:44:08 +0000 http://thevikingage.com/?p=7366 Monday RE: Action Where’ve you been all my life Christian Ponder? I have maintained that some of the goal of playing Ponder was to see what we had in the young man. I liked the decision on many fronts. First, pitiful teams don’t put the booty in the beautiful blue seats. Backup QBs with promise, [...]

Monday RE: action: Vikings Ponder Performance - The Viking Age - The Viking Age - A Minnesota Vikings Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> Monday RE: Action

Where’ve you been all my life Christian Ponder?

I have maintained that some of the goal of playing Ponder was to see what we had in the young man. I liked the decision on many fronts. First, pitiful teams don’t put the booty in the beautiful blue seats. Backup QBs with promise, taken in the first round of the NFL draft, put Purple Nurples in the chairs. So from a business perspective…a win. Second, you had to see what you had. If Ponder looked like a deer in the headlights when the cameras were rolling and said first round QB is a distant relative of Ryan Leaf then that is a problem.
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