Vikings TE John Carlson sprains MCL, will miss 2-4 weeks

Minnesota Vikings John Carlson, who missed all of 2011 because of a shoulder injury, is hurt again. It's his knee this time. Specifically, Carlson sprained an MCL during practice Tuesday. It's expected to keep him out of action at least two weeks and up to a month. Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier ruled out surgery and said it's a "pain tolerance thing."

Fantasy Analysis:

And so that grotesque five-year, $25 million contract given to Carlson in March is off to a tough start. Carlson hasn't been on fantasy radars since 2009, and that shouldn't change this year. He might vulture some touchdowns, but Kyle Rudolph is clearly the better tight end here. Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said a few days ago that he is counting on Rudolph to step up this year. Rudolph will probably still finish at 20 or below in the end-of-year tight end ranks. But I am very confident he'll be far ahead of Carlson.