FOX Sports North Midweek Stock Report for Sept. 16
Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who is making a meteoric rise -- like a ball hit by Miguel Sano -- and who is plummeting, like Vikings fans' confidence in Norv Turner.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in Minnesota, shall we?
Tyler Duffey
The 24-year-old's curveball is quickly gaining acclaim, and the right-hander looks like he could evolve into a valuable part of the Twins' rotation in the future. On Monday night, Duffey was key in Minnesota's 7-1 victory over Detroit, as he went 6 1/3 innings, yielding just one earned run while striking out seven and walking just two. The rookie is 3-0 since mid-August. Overall, Duffey is 3-1 this season, with a 3.72 ERA in 38 2/3 innings pitched.
Anthony Barr
There were some lingering concerns as the second-year Vikings linebacker was slowed by a knee ailment early in training camp. Barr looked 100-percent healthy on Monday night against San Francisco, however, as he was in on a game-high 12 tackles. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound 23-year-old also looked impressive as a pass rusher in blitz situations. So, there was one positive from Monday, Minnesota fans.
Drew Wolitarsky
This junior wide receiver had a major impact on the Gophers' 23-20, overtime triumph at Colorado State on Saturday. The 6-3, 218-pounder had nine receptions for 114 yards and a score, as Minnesota evened its record at 1-1 this season. Overall, Wolitarsky has a team-high 12 receptions for 161 yards this season.
Adrian Peterson
We've reserved the latter half of this article strictly for the Vikings, after a Monday performance that was so lifeless it was seemingly sponsored by the Walking Dead. There's a lot of blame to be passed around for the Vikings' 20-3 loss to the 49ers, but we'll start with Peterson. After 53 weeks away from legitimate NFL action, the Vikings' biggest talent produced just 31 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Afterward, the veteran called Minnesota's showing "embarrassing." In four career starts versus San Francisco, Peterson has averaged a pedestrian 51.3 rushing yards per game. In Peterson's defense, Minnesota's offensive line was awfully shaky in this year's matchup.
Teddy Bridgewater
The Vikings' second-year signal-caller was probably a bit overhyped in the offseason, considering he was coming off a season in which he had 14 TD passes, 12 interceptions and an 85.2 quarterback rating -- simply okay numbers in today's pass-happy NFL. But Monday's loss in California seemed like a step backward for the 22-year-old QB, as he completed 23 of 32 passes (with a few completions coming in garbage-time situations at the end of both halves) for 231 yards, one interception and zero scores. Bridgewater was sacked five times on the night and was saddled with a 79.0 QB rating -- his worst since last Nov. 16, at Chicago.
Mike Zimmer
Zimmer's squad opened training camp all the way back on July 26, then had five preseason games, then was granted an extra 33 hours of preparation compared to most NFL teams and . . . somehow still produced an absolute clunker in its Week 1 loss. The Vikings looked sloppy and disoriented at times, leading to a night in which Minnesota was a combined 1 for 11 on third- and fourth-down conversion attempts. You can bet Minnesota's second-year head coach didn't sleep well on Monday night. Is his honeymoon period in Minnesota already over?
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