Adrian Peterson Injury: How Your Fantasy Football Team Can Survive

Adrian Peterson painfully hobbled off the field after a grueling 12-yard run and four million people watched their fantasy football season unravel.

Those owners at the top of the draft who resisted the urge to select Chris Johnson or Jamaal Charles ahead of Peterson reaped great rewards through this season to date. Peterson ranks fifth in rushing yards and second among running backs for touchdowns.

To contrast, Johnson has only scored twice this season; Charles tore his ACL in Week 2.

But Peterson didn't return at any point of the game against Oakland. He returned to the sidelines after being carted off the field, but was obviously unable to return to the game despite his presence. Had Peterson been physically capable of returning, the Vikings would have used him in their final attempt to upset the Raiders.

Peterson's injury doesn't affect the Vikings' already non-existent playoff hopes, but it could warp the playoff picture in most fantasy leagues. Having already moved beyond most bye weeks, owners likely started trading their reserve depth to strengthen their starting roster.

And with the number of injured and under-performing running backs this year, the number of options on the waiver wire has already been picked over.

Hope still remains for Peterson's owners, though, even if his injury keeps him out of the lineup. Despite the return of Arian Foster, Houston's Ben Tate (owned in 68% of leagues) continues to get a fair share of carries. He scored a combined 30 points the last two weeks. And while New Orleans' Pierre Thomas (67%) had an off game last week against the Falcons, his 13-point average over the three previous weeks shouldn't be ignored.

And don't discount Charles' replacement, Jackie Battle (55%). The Chiefs might be one of the most inconsistent teams in the league, but owners can count on Battle for some production each week. His Week 9 performance (49 total yards) was his worst showing in five weeks. He currently ranks 22nd among running backs the last four weeks.

One prospect likely still under the radar, though, is Indianapolis' Donald Brown (8%). The Colts may become the second team to go 0-16 in NFL history, but Brown can be depended on for a couple of points. He ranks 25th among running backs this last month and averaged nearly eight points the last three weeks.

Yes, there aren't many options for those who've already dumped their backups. But any option in case of Peterson missing games is better than no option.