Christian Ponder was considered a surprise selection with the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft, but as far as the Minnesota Vikings are concerned, they got their quarterback of the future. Head coach Leslie Frazier said in a Sunday radio interview he would like that future to arrive Sept. 11 in Minnesota's season-opening game against the San Diego Chargers. "That would be the ideal situation -- we've got our Matt Ryan, we've got our (Joe) Flacco, we've got our (Mark) Sanchez right here," Frazier said. But Frazier also said Ponder's chances of starting right out of the gate will depend on the length of the league's current lockout. "It would be tough to be able to send him out there against San Diego if we don't start football, if we don't report until, say, mid-August, or three weeks prior to the season," Frazier said. "That would be a tough, tough deal for any young quarterback."

Fantasy Analysis:

If Ponder can't receive adequate practice time, the duties would most likely be handed to someone not on the Vikings' roster at this moment. Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar are the Vikings' only other QBs at this time. Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has said he would like to see the team add a veteran quarterback to the stable. I'm not a huge Ponder fan, even though his skills would seem to fit well into the team's new West Coast offense. Obviously, if he begins the season as the starter, he should be on fantasy radars, but I still agree with the belief that the Vikings will add a more established arm to keep the seat warm while Ponder develops during the year. I don't think Ponder will be a huge fantasy factor in 2011.