The news wasn’t good this week surrounding Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice as he underwent surgery on Monday after failing to recover from a playoff hip injury.

The team had hoped he would heal over the summer, but went little progress was made the wideout opted to go under the knife.  He’s expected to miss at least eight weeks and to start the season on the PUP list. The team could eventually opt to place him on the injured reserve, ending his season.

Rice emerged as a low-end fantasy WR1 during 2009 when he finished with 83 catches for 1,312 yards (15.8 avg.) and eight touchdowns (with 100 yards and/or a touchdown in 10 of his last 14 games).

In leagues where you can have 16 or more players on the roster, Rice could be worth a stab as a WR5 or WR6 and be stashed away for the season, but just be prepared to get nothing out of him for at least half of the NFL season. 

With Rice out, fantasy owners that already drafted him are left scrambling.  In addition, those that have yet to draft their teams must consider the impact:

QB Brett Favre – The veteran just got to camp and is likely going to need time to get into game speed and losing his No. 1 target is not going to help. Expecting Favre to equal last year’s output is unrealistic though he should still prove to be a capable low end fantasy quarterback No. 1 or solid QB2 in shallower leagues regardless of Rice’s presence.

RB Adrian Peterson – Peterson is going to see even more targets in the Vikings’ passing attack with Rice out. In addition, the team will likely run more often. With rookie Toby Gerhardt progressing slowly in the Vikings’ offense, A-Pete could approach 400 touches and get 50-plus receptions. He remains as one of fantasy football’s top options.

WR Percy Harvin – Assuming the second-year wideout can get over the migraine issues that have sidelined him in training camp, Harvin is in position to become the team’s No. 1 wideout.  While owners certainly need to keep their eyes on his medical concerns, Harvin projects to be a low-end No. 2 fantasy wideout and a mid-round draft selection (6-9th round). Just be prepared to deal with your own headaches if you take a flier on him.

WR – Bernard Berrian – Berrian’s stock is already on the rise with Rice sidelined and will stand to get an additional boost if Harvin misses time.  He won’t offer enough consistency though to be anything more than a WR3 or WR 4 option. You could do much worse when building the bench for your fantasy team.
WR – Javon Walker – There will likely be some owner in your league that takes a stab at Walker, but don’t let it be you.  He is 31 and has played in just 11 games during the last two seasons.  He hasn’t eclipsed 300 yards or scored multiple touchdowns in a season since 2006.

TE Visante Shiancoe – Shiancoe emerged in the fantasy world last year when he scored 11 times on just 56 catches. He will remain a red-zone target for Favre, who loves throwing to tight ends. In addition, with Rice sidelined his targets are certainly to rise.  Tight end is deep so he is still only low-end starting fantasy option but will provide nice value for owners that wait until the big guys go off the board.

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