NFL Fantasy Football 2011: Do You Trust the Minnesota Vikings Defense?

Ryan LesterJun 7, 2018

The Vikings have so many questions on offense that it’s easy to overlook their defensive issues. The Vikings were once considered a unit in the same company as Baltimore and Pittsburgh, at least in terms of fantasy production. They were great against the run thanks to a dominant front four, which was the heart and soul of their defense. That may not be the case in 2011.

For starters, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams are expected to serve a four game suspension for the star caps case that finally caught up with them. That’s if Pat Williams returns to the club. The odds are good that he’ll be back.

Ray Edwards, on the other hand, has already made it quite clear that he no longer wants to play for the purple. Brian Robison will take over for Edwards, but that is a step back in terms of talent. Jared Allen is still Jared Allen, but he won’t be as effective without his supporting cast.

Their division got tougher on them. Green Bay is as dominant an offense as there is in the NFL. Detroit, forever the NFC North’s punching bag has made dramatic improvements on offense. Even if Matthew Stafford goes down again, they have shown they can produce without him. Jay Cutler is either brilliant or brutal so it’s a gamble starting your defense against him.

The secondary has issues, and by taking a quarterback and a tight end (along with giving away the third-round pick for a few games with Randy Moss), the Vikings failed to truly address their needs in the draft. Unless they add some key components via free agency, this could be a troubled position.

The strength of the defense will be the linebackers, who are anchored by Chad Greenway. They have the ability to make plays, but I don’t see this defense as a starting fantasy football unit. The ADP according to MockDraftCentral is ninth among defenses. Personally, I’d go in another direction.