The Minnesota Vikings shocked a lot of people when they traded back into the first round of April’s draft and selected former Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson with the No. 28 overall pick. But, people were more shocked that they traded up to have three total picks in the first round than they were that the Vikings selected Patterson. Patterson was my top-ranked receiver headed into the draft, despite having only one year under his belt at Tennessee. So let’s take a look at what sort of fantasy impact he’ll have with Minnesota in 2013 and beyond.
College Stats | Year | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD's | Rush Att | Yds | Avg | TD's |
| 2012 | 46 | 778 | 16.9 | 5 | 25 | 308 | 12.3 | 3 |
After trading Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks earlier in the offseason, the Vikings added veteran receiver Greg Jennings hoping to replace Harvin in the offense. While Jennings is talented, his age and injury concerns leave quite a bit to be desired. Enter Patterson, who can stretch the field on the outside and line up in the slot to give the Vikings two dependable receivers. Patterson is also talented as a special teams return man, and will definitely fill the void left by Harvins’ departure.
Headed into 2013, Patterson will likely be the No. 2 receiver on the roster, which means that he’ll put up decent numbers, but he likely will finish behind Jennings and Christian Ponder’s favorite target, tight end Kyle Rudolph. You also have to take into account that Adrian Peterson is still on the team, and will obviously still be the focus of the offense. In standard or PPR scoring re-draft leagues, Patterson will likely be nothing more than a fringe WR3 or FLEX option. Patterson is obviously much more valuable in dynasty leagues though, as he’ll likely step into the No. 1 receiver role for the Vikings by 2015.
2013 Stat Projections: 45 receptions, 702 yards and four touchdowns.