Minnesota Vikings Week 10 Stock Report

The Minnesota Vikings will go for their fifth straight win when they travel to Oakland to play the 4-4 Raiders in Week 10.

Now 6-2 this season, the Vikings have thrust themselves into a tie for first place in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak when it hosts the 1-7 Detroit Lions. 

Minnesota's showdown in Oakland will feature two fast rising teams with top quarterbacks from the 2014 rookie class. Derek Carr has the fancy numbers for the Raiders, but Teddy Bridgewater is leading a team that has lost just once since Week 1. 

In the following slides, we'll take a look at who is rising and falling for the Vikings ahead of Week 10. 

Rising: NT Linval Joseph

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

In a game packed with impact defensive linemen, Vikings nose tackle Linval Joseph was the best player on the field. Of his team-high 10 tackles, three came behind the line—including a stop on rookie Todd Gurley for a loss of six yards on the Rams' first play of overtime. 

It's possible no nose tackle this season has produced a game as disruptive as Joseph's on Sunday. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Joseph graded out at plus-11.4 against the Rams—the top grade posted at the position in 2015. His 54 snaps created three quarterback disruptions, including a half-sack, and seven of his tackles were considered "stops" or tackles constituting an offensive failure. 

Joseph is now the second highest graded nose tackle or defensive tackle in football. Only Aaron Donald of the Rams has been better in 2015. 

Falling: S Andrew Sendejo

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

If there's a weak spot in the Vikings defense, it's at safety opposite Harrison Smith. Andrew Sendejo, who once again started there against the Rams, had another tough day at the office. 

His missed tackle helped create Tavon Austin's 22-yard gain near the end of the second quarter. In coverage, Sendejo jumped an underneath route and left veteran cornerback Terence Newman on an island deep against Kenny Britt, who made a 55-yard reception.

Later, he nearly gave up a big play to Austin down the field, but the Rams receiver dropped the deep ball. Had the throw been better, or Austin made the reception, it's possible the error could have cost the Vikings six points. 

Rising: CB Captain Munnerlyn

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Lost in the ascendancy of the Vikings defense to the top of the NFL has been the revival of cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. 

After only playing a handful of snaps in Week 1, Munnerlyn has re-established himself as a vital part of the Minnesota secondary. He was solid again on Sunday.

According to Pro Football Focus, Rams quarterback Nick Foles targeted Munnerlyn seven times. Four were complete, but the connections only netted 16 yards. The Vikings were stingy against the Rams' favored receiver screens, largely thanks to Munnerlyn on the edge and linebacker Anthony Barr playing sideline-to-sideline. 

His biggest play came in overtime, when he beat a block and made the stop on Tavon Austin for no gain. Munnerlyn is playing lights out. 

Falling: Teddy Bridgewater to Mike Wallace

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has thrown 21 incompletions over the last two weeks. Of those 21, nine have been when targeting receiver Mike Wallace. 

The two just can't get on the same page. When Wallace is open deep, Bridgewater hasn't made good throws. When the pass is accurate, Wallace's hands have been inconsistent. It's a bad combination for a quarterback and receiver. 

Overall, Wallace has one catch for just four yards on his last 10 targets. Over his last four games, Wallace has just seven receptions for 63 yards, with no touchdowns and zero catches over 20 yards. 

The emergence of Stefon Diggs has helped bail out Minnesota's passing game. But Bridgewater and the offense will continue to be up and down until Bridgewater and Wallace start clicking. The Vikings are getting too many wasted plays from the two in recent weeks. 

Rising: RB Adrian Peterson

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Adrian Peterson used his hyped matchup with rookie Todd Gurley to power his way back to the top of the NFL's rushing leaderboard. 

While Gurley struggled his way to 87 yards, Peterson gained 125, including 21 in overtime. After nine weeks, the 30-year-old back once again leads the league with 758 yards.

Peterson has four games with 100 or more rushing yards (and one with 98), and he's now on pace for over 1,500 yards. If he holds onto the top spot, he'd become just the second running back ever to win a rushing title over the age of 30. Only five running backs have ever hit 1,500 yards in a single season after turning 30. 

Rising: Mike Zimmer

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Mike Zimmer made a gutsy call in overtime leading to a win, and then defended his players publicly after a game in which his starting quarterback was knocked out with a vicious hit. 

While his decision to take the wind and not the ball in overtime was a stroke of genius, his players appreciated the support more. 

“We’ve got Zimmer’s back because he’s got our back," Linval Joseph said, via Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. "If anything happens to any one of us, he has our back. And for him to do that, and say that, that’s him showing us he cares about his team and his players and he’s not going to let anybody take advantage of us. Just like I’m not going to let anybody take advantage of him. So I respect him for that.”

Zimmer has his Vikings at 6-2 and on top of the division. He's transformed a lost franchise, crafting a football team in his image and creating a serious contender in a little more than a year. There's no reason why he wouldn't be right in the conversion for Coach of the Year as Week 10 approaches.