From a team standpoint, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has one reason to play on a sprained ankle -- avoiding the all-time franchise record for losses in a season. But Peterson has other reasons to give it a try.
Apart from being 128 yards from his fifth 1,000-yard season and 165 yards from the franchise rushing record held by Robert Smith, Peterson wants to help his owners not named Wilf.
“It’s very important, especially for my fantasy team owners,” Peterson said Thursday, according to Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “They’ve been giving me a hard time.”
Peterson was smiling when he said that, something his fantasy owners likely haven’t been doing lately. And Peterson said that he has been hearing from his fantasy owners on Twitter.
“They’ll say, ‘Will you please [play]. I’ll send my wife down to visit you,’” Peterson said. “Sometimes, it’s like, wow. Some of the things I read on there is crazy.”
Last week, Peterson said he was 70 percent. This week, he says he’s at 85 percent. But he’s no longer limping, and he has practiced on a limited basis each of the last two days.
Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain last month against the Raiders.
