Minnesota rookie star running back Adrian Peterson tore a lateral knee ligament and is out Sunday.
Backup Chester Taylor becomes a strong start against Oakland's fourth-worst ranked run defense. Taylor showed he was capable of being a featured back when he ran for 1,216 yards and six scores with Minnesota last season, averaging a respectable 4.0 yards per carry. He also demonstrated he's a proficient receiver, catching 42 passes for 288 yards last year.
The Raiders have yielded noteworthy fantasy games to the following running backs:
Week 1: Detroit's Tatum Bell totaled 93 yards and a score
Week 2: Denver's Travis Henry totaled 136 yards
Week 4: Miami's Ronnie Brown totaled 207 yards and a score
Week 6: San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson totaled 214 yards and four scores
Week 7: Kansas City's Larry Johnson totaled 133 yards and one score
Week 8: Tennessee's Lendale White totaled 141 yards
Week 9: Houston's Ron Dayne totaled 122 yards and one score
Week 10: Chicago's Cedric Benson totaled 97 yards and one score
Expect Taylor to total at least 100 yards and a score. Unfortunately, Peterson would have had another chance to wreak havoc on a defense if he was healthy, especially against Oakland's struggling run defense.
