RADIO
Today's game featuring the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings will be a clash of tough NFC defenses and solid run games. Both teams are coming off of big wins last week as the Seahawks beat the Steelers and the Vikings beat the Falcons. This game means a lot for both teams, as the Vikings fight to stay ahead of the Packers in the division and the Seahawks battle for a wild card spot.
It seems as though many fantasy owners get nervous when one of their stud players faces the Seahawks. The Seahawks have had a historically good defense the past few years, both passing and rushing. This season, however, the Seahawks haven't looked as dominant. In overall defensive statistics so far this season, Seattle ranks fourth overall and fifth in rushing yards allowed per game. While the Seahawks have been able to bottle up running backs for the most part this season, they haven't faced Adrian Peterson yet.
Peterson has been running like a man on fire lately, rushing for over 100 yards in four of his last five games and scoring a touchdown in four straight. Last week against the Atlanta Falcons' number one ranked rushing defense, Peterson exploded for one of his best games of the year with 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Peterson has shown that he can put up big numbers against tough defenses, and I think that will be the case today.
Thomas Rawls has been quite the surprise replacement for the injured Marshawn Lynch this season. Rawls has two 100 yard rushing games this season and one 200 yard rushing game to go along with four total touchdowns. Rawls is a strong and athletic runner with good vision. In his last two games since Marshawn Lynch's announcement of surgery for a hernia, Rawls has had 51 carries for 290 yards and two rushing touchdowns and three receptions for 46 yards and touchdown. Rawls has a nice matchup against a Vikings defense that allows nearly 111 rushing yards per game. Despite giving up big yardage on the ground, the Vikings still have a tough defense and will likely be one of the tougher matchups for Rawls all season.
If you own Peterson or Rawls, don't be afraid to play either one today due to strength of matchup. While the Seahawks and Vikings both have solid defenses, the running backs are talented enough to produce good numbers. I expect Thomas Rawls to rush for 105 yards and touchdown and have two receptions for 20 yards. I'm forecasting Adrian Peterson to rush for 130 yards and a touchdown and have two receptions for 20 yards.
