Adrian Peterson (RB, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Leagues

OWNED IN: 70% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: In today's headlines on numerous sports outlets you will see that Adrian Peterson reached a plea deal on his child abuse case.  He has been ordered a fine and community service which would make him square with the law.  Now the question is what will the NFL do now?  What we do know is that Peterson has been out the last 8 weeks on 'paid leave' and that his punishment was outside the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.  I suspect that the NFL doesn't have much to stand on as far as keeping him away from playing.

So the question is, will the Vikings accept him back to the team and play him?  This is where it makes it difficult as a fantasy owner to know what to do.  If you are in a deep league adding Adrian Peterson is a no brainer because you aren't losing much if you make the move.  However if you are in a shallow league, you can't go dropping studs, especially if you have a bye week crunch.

My gut says that he will be back soon and is a must add in all formats, but it's far from a sure thing.  Therefore, my recommendation is if you have someone that can be dropped, and don't have a bye week crunch, then I'd recommend picking him up.  If you don't have a deep bench, or would be risking losing this week or next by stashing him, then I'd keep watching the situation for now before determining your action.  Losing an active and contributing player now while hoping that Peterson comes back, especially if the bye week has your team in a bind, may be a mistake because the most important thing is to win every week and make the fantasy playoffs.