Ben Tate's Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook After Being Claimed by Vikings

One day after being cut loose by the Cleveland Browns, running back Ben Tate was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings.     

Field Yates of ESPN.com was the first to report the news:

The addition of Tate does put an interesting spin on the Minnesota backfield. Teams always love to have running back options, so this isn't necessarily a surprise. It's not exactly good news for backup Matt Asiata, though his stock has been declining thanks to the emergence of rookie Jerick McKinnon. 

This was also a situation where the team's back was against the wall. As noted in this report on ESPN.com, Minnesota's running backs are beat up:

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McKinnon, though, has been dealing with a low back injury, and did not practice on Wednesday. Asiata also missed practice with a concussion, and the health of both backs—as well as the loss of Peterson—could explain the Vikings' quest for more running back depth.

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Fantasy owners will be happy to know that Tate does come with fantasy upside, more than he had in Cleveland because his best role is as a backup who touches the ball 10-12 times per game and makes an occasional spot start in the event of an injury to the starter. 

In three years with Houston, Tate looked like a potential No. 1 running back when given the chance. He had 1,992 yards and 10 touchdowns in 40 games, including nine starts, with the Texans.

The move to Cleveland was supposed to be Tate's moment in the spotlight, but injuries and emerging rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell cut into his playing time. Tate didn't help matters by averaging 3.1 yards per carry through eight games. 

Perhaps Tate is just in his decline phase, though as Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted in her quotes from Browns head coach Mike Pettine after the team waived the running back, he didn't like how the team was using him:

Now, Tate is moving to a situation where the Vikings are starting a rookie at quarterback and have gotten virtually nothing from the wide receivers. The only consistent playmaker they have is running back McKinnon, who is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. 

However, because McKinnon is a speed-and-finesse runner, the Vikings have been using Asiata to score touchdowns in the red zone. The latter has six scores this season, while the former has yet to find the end zone. 

If the Vikings view Tate as an upgrade over Asiata, or just need a healthy body to use, that makes him worthy of a roster spot and worthy of a start at the flex position when the team deems him ready to play in their system. 

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