FanHouse Naufahu Tahi

Despite a hamstring injury that made him a game-time decision, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play against the Carolina Panthers today.

Peterson is the NFL's leading rusher and, really, the only offensive weapon Minnesota has had this season. With the Vikings replacing Tarvaris Jackson with Gus Frerotte, the Vikings need all the help they can give him.

After pre-game warmups, ESPN reported that Peterson would play:

Peterson said all along that he expected to play, but he did not practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday, which raised doubts about his status.

Receiver Sidney Rice (knee) was inactive for the Vikings, replaced in the starting lineup by Bobby Wade. Fullback Thomas Tapeh also was put on the shelf, replaced on the active roster and in the starting lineup by Naufahu Tahi.

This is also huge for fantasy football enthusiasts. Not having Peterson would severly damage his owners from winning their games today.

Despite a hamstring injury that made him a game-time decision, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play against the Carolina Panthers today.

Peterson is the NFL's leading rusher and, really, the only offensive weapon Minnesota has had this season. With the Vikings replacing Tarvaris Jackson with Gus Frerotte, the Vikings need all the help they can give him.

After pre-game warmups, ESPN reported that Peterson would play:

Peterson said all along that he expected to play, but he did not practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday, which raised doubts about his status.

Receiver Sidney Rice (knee) was inactive for the Vikings, replaced in the starting lineup by Bobby Wade. Fullback Thomas Tapeh also was put on the shelf, replaced on the active roster and in the starting lineup by Naufahu Tahi.

This is also huge for fantasy football enthusiasts. Not having Peterson would severly damage his owners from winning their games today.

22 roster moves were made today, and there were some surprising names involved (although not as surprising as a few other teams moves - still amazed at the Detroit fiasco with Charles Rogers). From Mark Curnutte, the full list:

WAIVED: wide receivers Glenn Holt, P.K. Sam and McNeal, offensive linemen Nate Livings, Kyle Takavitz, Pete Lougheed and Wilkerson, tight ends Darnell Sanders, David Jones and Ghent, running backs DeDe Dorsey, Naufahu Tahi and Chris Manderino, defensive lineman Eric Henderson and safety John Busing.

PUP: tailback Chris Perry, defensive end Jonathan Fanene and offensive lineman Adam Kieft.

IR: wide receiver Bennie Brazell, cornerback Patrick Body and defensive tackle Marcus Lewis.

SUSPENDED: Linebacker Odell Thurman was officially placed on the "Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner" list for his second violation of the league substance abuse policy.

The names that surprise me the most here are Reggie McNeal, the Bengals sixth rounder from this past draft. McNeal was Texas A&M's quarterback, but the Bengals drafted him as a wide receiver / special teams player. The pick confused me then, and I guess it confuses me even more now. As deep as this team is at wide receiver I just don't understand why they wasted a draft pick on the position.

I'm also surprised to see center Ben Wilkerson cut. I'd always assumed he'd one day be the heir to Rich Braham, but I guess that won't be happening now. Eric Ghiaciuc kind of made him redundant. The Bengals also cut a couple of players who had impressive preseasons in Tahi and Dorsey, which is to be expected with how deep this team is.

I'm glad to see Bennie Brazell kept, I think he has a future in the NFL in some capacity. The guy's crazy fast and speed is always worth something.
The most gratifying part of cut day has to be seeing so many quality players getting waived, players who could easily play for plenty of NFL teams. It's impressive that the Bengals have enough talent to waive guys like McNeal and Wilkerson.

More: Team makes 22 roster moves - Mark Curnutte's Blog
Roster Cut Thoughts - Cincy Jungle