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With the return of Adrian Peterson, and Teddy Bridgewater showing nice progression at the end of last season, this is not an offense that you want to sleep on for your 2015 Fantasy Football league.

Although Sidney Rice was the last Vikings’ wide receiver to record a 1,000-yard season, back in 2009, there is optimism that the second-year quarterback is going to take a big step forward in 2015.

Before the 2014 NFL Draft, I watched Jon Gruden’s QB Camp and was thoroughly impressed with Bridgewater. He’s a student of the game, improved every single season he was in college and showed his toughness in a game against Rutgers where he played with a fractured wrist and sprained ankle. He mostly operated out of the shotgun and split time with the backup quarterback, but Louisville still managed to win that game.

A better quarterback and a balanced attack on offense means the wide receivers will now have their time to shine, but will it be Charles Johnson or Mike Wallace who becomes Bridgewater’s favorite target?

Charles Johnson’s 2015 Fantasy Football Outlook

Johnson recorded a 4.35 and 4.38 40-yard dash time at his Pro Day in 2013. Although that would not have been a good enough time to beat Tavon Austin (5-foot-8, 176 pounds) or Marquise Goodwin (5-foot-9, 179 pounds) at the 2013 NFL Combine, Johnson was able to record that time with a 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame.

The 26-year old receiver added 10 pounds during the offseason, so hopefully he can keep his speed, but his size, strength and speed make him a ridiculous weapon to try and stop.

He only appeared in four games to start the season, but he built his rapport with Bridgewater in Week 11 with six receptions for 86 receiving yards. Before that game Johnson was averaging 1.5 receptions-per-game and 15 receiving yards-per-game. As Bridgewater’s efficiency progressed, Johnson averaged 3.57 receptions and 59.28 receiving yards between Weeks 11-17.



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Johnson also worked with Rischad Whitfield on his footwork, who reportedly has Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins as clients. It seems like Johnson is making all the right moves to be successful, and he will also benefit from Bridgewater gaining more confidence and having more experience for the 2015 season.

Mike Wallace’s 2015 Fantasy Football Outlook

Although Wallace is far removed from his 2010 season of 1,257 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, he still recorded strong numbers during his two-year stint with the Miami Dolphins.

2013

Receptions: 73

Receiving Yards: 930

Touchdowns: 5

2014

Receptions: 67

Receiving Yards: 862

Touchdowns: 10

Wallace still believes he is the fastest player in the NFL and he provides a different dimension to the passing attack. Eric Oslund discusses in his “Vikings have special speed at wide receiver” article about how offensive coordinator Norv Turner is very impressed with Wallace, and Turner believes he can bring more to the table than just his speed.

“We move him around a lot and he’s very, very smart,” Turner said. “Obviously very experienced and there are some routes he runs really, really well that he runs underneath routes. I’ve been very impressed with him. Obviously he can stretch the field and go deep, but I think he’s a guy that we can use in a lot of different ways.”

Originally I thought Johnson was clearly the receiver to own on the Vikings, but Wallace does serve as an intriguing option. If Peterson has kept his form from previous seasons, this is going to be a much more well-rounded offense than we have seen in the past.

Average Draft Position

Wallace intrigues me even more as the 35th receiver off the board on SCOUT’s ADP list. He’s available at the start of Round 8, which means it wouldn’t hurt your team if he turns out to be a bust.

Johnson will cost you a little bit more as the 32nd receiver drafted, but he won’t devastate your team either if he doesn’t work out because he’s available at the end of Round 7.

The closeness of their draft positions does not make this decision any easier. Do you go with an up-and-coming player like Johnson, or do you draft a player who could take the top off a defense like Wallace?

Fantasy Success with Overlooked Stats

In Jeb Gorham's article “Fantasy Success with Overlooked Stats”, he points out that sometimes new players on new teams can earn a different role. Wallace has noted that the Vikings’ offense reminds him of his time in Pittsburgh, and he says the playbook in Minnesota calls for more vertical plays than the Dolphins’ playbook.

Is it likely that Wallace returns to his glory days in Pittsburgh? Probably not, but if he didn’t care for the playbook in Miami and still put up the numbers that he did, imagine what he could do if he actually liked and fit in with the system.

Conclusions on Charles Johnson Vs. Mike Wallace

Each receiver offers a lot of value and will benefit from an improved quarterback and a balanced attack, so it’s difficult to lean in one direction over the other. You either buy into Johnson doing the work to become a great receiver or you think Wallace’s experience and speed gives him a distinct advantage.

For pure volume and PPR purposes, I have to go with Johnson. Wallace is definitely on my radar, but Johnson will be in the prime of his career as a 26-year old receiver, and should see a much larger amount of playing time compared to last season and he already has familiarity with Bridgewater.

Both of these receivers can easily exceed their ADP value, but I’m going to give the edge to Johnson. Premium SCOUT members can view Senior Fantasy Football Expert Shawn Childs 2015 Minnesota Vikings Team Projections to get an overview of the entire Vikings’ offense.

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