Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder may not be the ideal start for fantasy owners looking to win their league championship based on today's action. But in some cases, Ponder may be the only option and if so, at least the rookie quarterback will be plenty motivated to put his recent struggles behind him and remind the Vikings and their fans that his future remains promising.
A hip injury has hampered Ponder the past few weeks as he's struggled to stay on the field or play well enough to merit staying on the field. But suddenly, the Vikings are thrust into contention for the top pick in the next NFL Draft which means Ponder might look over his shoulder and see a vision of Andrew Luck on the sideline.
A Minnesota win will quiet the Luck chatter so don't expect Ponder to comply with any desires fans may have for the Vikings to roll over against the Redskins on Sunday to remain in contention for to top pick. Ponder will have to exceed expectations from fantasy projections to make that happen, though. According the the numberFire, Ponder projects to complete 17.20 of 29.22 passes for 198.91 yards with 1.04 touchdowns and 0.92 interceptions.
Those numbers wouldn't be a bad starting point for Ponder against the Redskins and if he exceeds those expectations and gets some help from the running game, the Vikings should be in position to win their third game of the season.