A Dozen Players Appear on Minnesota Vikings Injury Report
K. Joudry
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It’s never a good sign when you see so many names on the list. The week is still early, but there is some reason for concern. We have a total of twelve Minnesota Vikings on the injury report.
TE Ben Ellefson, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Adam Thielen, WR Justin Jefferson, LB Anthony Barr, DT Michael Pierce, and DE Everson Griffen all received a DNP designation. WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, FB C.J. Ham, RB Dalvin Cook, and FS Harrison Smith were limited. LB Nick Vigil was the lone full participant.
There’s a lot there, so let’s breakdown the implications.
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Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way first. Vigil was a FP, so let’s assume he’s mostly good to go. Moreover, both Smith and Griffen were on there because of veteran rest days. That eliminates 3 of the twelve.
From there, it would appear as though we’ve got a good chance of seeing Cook back out there. Ham is as tough as it gets, so I also expect our FB to be available. If that’s the case, then our starting backfield is available. Losing Mattison for the week wouldn’t be as significant if Cook and Ham are 100% (or very nearly so). Regardless of how it shakes out with the injury report, expect the see our Minnesota Vikings turn to Ameer Abdullah more.
The biggest concern is definitely the lack of practice from Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Obviously, they’re a borderline unguardable pair, perhaps forming the most lethal WR duo in the NFL. I’d be surprised if both were out, but what do I know? I’m just hoping for the best here.
I don’t imagine Zim will be too anxious to test things with Pierce, so I think Armon Watts will get another start. I also think Anthony Barr is getting some rest following a physical, full game. I expect our veteran LB to be leading the defense against Carolina.
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Our Minnesota Vikings aren’t the only ones dealing with injuries, as the Carolina Panthers injury report indicates. LB Shaq Thompson didn’t participate in practice. P Joseph Charlton, RB Christian McCaffrey, and CB C.J. Henderson were limited. T Cameron Erving was a full participant. Expect McCaffrey to be out there, folks.
Week 6 is a massive game. We need to head into the bye with some momentum. Being at mostly full strength would give us the advantage.