NFL WEEK 8 - THURSDAY NIGHT T & R

TAMPA BAY @ MINNESOTA

Momentum can shift in a second.  When OT Donald Penn got into it with Vikings DE Jared Allen, it appeared to be a turning point in the game.  You could feel the Minnesota faithful exhale a collective breath with a deafening scream.  Allen and his bloody nose sacked Josh Freeman and held firm.  After that, they came up with two second half stops to give their team a chance to get back in the game.  But as much as momentum can change things, sometimes it occurs too late.  The doggedly stubborn Buccaneers refused to let this one out of their hands. Doug Martin had a career game, putting up over 200 total yards and two scores.  Josh Freeman threw for three touchdown passes and had no turnovers, and Tampa Bay rode their streak to six straight wins over the Vikings.  Vincent Jackson hardly factored in the game, with two catches for 40 yards, though one was a very big third down conversion after that scuffle between Penn and Allen.   As for Minnesota, the turnover fest continues.  Two first half fumbles, one by Adrian Peterson, and one by WR Jerome Simpson, were enough to boost Tampa Bay’s confidence, and add 10 more points to the Buccaneers tally.  The Vikings offense is struggling big time.  Their first four drives were three plays and out and they added three more drives of just three plays in the second half.  Two of their possessions that exceeded three plays ended up in turnovers, just before any sort of rhythm could be established.  Though Peterson fumbled, he really was the lone highlight, becoming just the second runner to exceed 100 yards against the Buccaneers defense this year.  Christian Ponder was pressured most of the night, and garnered most of his yards when the game was out of hand.  

 Ponder is likely to see more time on your bench.

The suddenly offensive Buccaneers have the likes of Oakland, Carolina and San Diego in their sites, making players on this offense worth targeting.  The Vikings have three of their next five games against top rated defenses Seattle and Chicago twice.   Guess which defense is ranked 11^th in overall fantasy points?   That’s right, the Bears, scoring more points than every position player but nine quarterbacks and Arian Foster.  It doesn’t bode well for Peterson or Harvin, but even less so for Ponder.  Continue to keep him on your bench for the foreseeable future.