Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder delivered some solid fantasy football production last week in Minnesota's wild overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. Can he carry that momentum over against the Detroit Lions on Sunday?
Ponder threw the ball 47 times for 381 yards with three touchdown passes to add to the yardage. While Ponder spread the ball around with four different player catching at least four passes, he was also able to get the ball to dynamic playmaker Percy Harvin in space where he could do more damage with his legs. Harvin's 156 yards receiving and two touchdowns help open up the Vikings offensive attack which went into the game struggling to put points on the board.
Ponder's big numbers came without the aid of running back Adrian Peterson to draw the attention of the Denver defense. Peterson remains questionable to play with a high ankle sprain so even if AP does give it a go, the Vikings won't be able to rely on him to carry a heavy load.
Ponder dealt with a bad hip all week but expects to play. Despite the fantasy outburst last week, the numberFire projections remain cautious for Ponder, expecting him to complete 19.69 of 31.35 passes for 218.71 yards with 1.46 TDs and 0.88 interceptions.
Pretty safe to say any fantasy owners turning to Ponder today will need to see him exceed those projections, as will the Vikings if they want to beat the Lions.