Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen will miss Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The team listed him as out on its injury report.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters that the 31-year-old suffered a sprained ankle in the Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions. He went down on the team's first offensive drive, injuring his left ankle when he was tackled after catching a screen pass on third down.

Thielen is one of the go-to targets for Viking quarterback Kirk Cousins. Through 12 games, he ranks second on the team with 64 receptions, 686 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Along with Justin Jefferson, he is part of one of the most potent wide receiver tandems in the NFL. Jefferson leads the team with 78 catches for 1,209 yards and seven TDs.

Thielen has spent his entire eight-year career in Minnesota. He emerged in the 2016 season and has recorded 60 or more receptions in a season five times, including this year. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards to start a season with eight. That number is also the overall record for 100-yard receiving games, which he shares with Calvin Johnson.

The Minnesota State product earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2017 and 2018, and he recorded 91 catches for 1,276 yards and four scores in 2017 and followed with 113 receptions for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns the following year. He notched a career-high 14 touchdowns in 2020.

Thielen's absence is a blow to Minnesota's playoff hopes. At 5-7, it remains in contention in the NFC but will have a hard time competing without one of its top options on the outside.

Jefferson will remain the Vikings' No. 1 receiver, but defenses will be able to focus on him more while Thielen is out.

Second-year receiver K.J. Osborn will have to fill Thielen's role and take pressure off Jefferson. The Miami product has 35 receptions for 412 yards and three touchdowns this season.

The Minnesota Vikings have to play without top receiver Adam Thielen after he was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions with an ankle injury, providing more of an opportunity for Justin Jefferson and others to thrive in the passing game.

The second-year Jefferson has already been one of the NFL's top wideouts this season, totaling 1,027 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 67 catches in 11 games entering the day. That follows a breakout rookie season in which he earned a Pro Bowl selection with 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven scores.

While the 22-year-old has already shown his big-play ability throughout his time in the NFL, Thielen's absence will make Jefferson an even more important part of the offense. This will especially be the case on the scoreboard, as Thielen has 10 touchdowns on the season.

Jefferson should be a WR1 in all formats and could challenge to be the top overall scorer at the position until Thielen returns.

His injury could also open things up for K.J. Osborn, who has been a quality option for Kirk Cousins even as the third receiver. He got into the lineup after Chad Beebe and Bisi Johnson suffered preseason injuries and now could get an even bigger role.

Osborn should be added in all leagues and could even be an instant start, depending on your options.

The Vikings offense has had some big games this year, and it could lead to fantasy production for anyone with consistent playing time.  

The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions.

Head coach Mike Zimmer confirmed the severity of the injury to reporters after the star exited in the first half and did not return.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Thielen will undergo further testing on Monday:

Despite this setback, durability has been a defining feature of the wide receiver's career.

Thielen dealt with a hamstring injury during the 2019 season and played just 10 games. It was the first time in his career he missed any time after appearing in all 16 games in each of his first five seasons in the league.

The health concerns prevented him from replicating his usually impressive numbers, and he finished the campaign with 30 catches for 418 yards and six touchdowns.

It was a far cry from his back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns when he tallied more than 1,200 receiving yards in 2017 and 2018.

He bounced back in 2020 and finished with 74 catches for 925 yards and 14 touchdowns in 15 games and has followed with 63 catches for 686 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021.

While the Vikings' aerial attack will likely be worse with Thielen sidelined, they still have Justin Jefferson as a No. 1 option. Look for K.J. Osborn, Dede Westbrook and Ihmir Smith-Marsette to see more targets as well, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the team relied even more on running back Alexander Mattison until Dalvin Cook can return from his shoulder injury.            

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen announced Friday night he's bipolar and will become an advocate for mental health.

Griffen called police last week saying someone was inside his home. He also made several posts on social media, including one that showed him holding a gun, that raised questions about his well-being. He eventually came out of the house and was transported to a mental health facility.

The 33-year-old NFL player posted an update Friday on Instagram:

It's true I am bipolar. I will embrace it and I will be an advocate for mental health. I been running from it a long time. I'm not ashamed of it anymore. It all started when my mother passed away. Went into a dark place, thought I was great for many years. I promise this time I will do everything the experts say and my wife. I love my family and I miss my friends. Thank you for all the love and support, but most of all thank you for all the prayers.

The Vikings released a statement following the Nov. 24 incident:

Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman thanked local authorities and the team's ownership group, the Wilf family, for having plans in place to help prevent potential tragedies.

"All I know is that when we got the call this morning, that we immediately—our No. 1 concern was because of Everson, [his wife] Tiffany and his family, how much we love them," Spielman told reporters. "And how much they are a part of this family."

The Vikings placed Griffen on the NFL's reserve/non-football illness list while he received treatment.

Griffen was a fourth-round pick by Minnesota out of USC in the 2010 draft.

After a decade with the Vikings, he split the 2020 campaign between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions before rejoining the Vikes as a free agent in August. 

The four-time Pro Bowl selection has recorded 377 total tackles and 85.5 sacks across 170 games during his 12-year NFL career.

The spotlight is again on Alexander Mattison in the Minnesota Vikings' backfield.

Minnesota announced on Friday that Dalvin Cook has been ruled out for this week's game against the Detroit Lions with a shoulder injury, which positions Mattison as the temporary starter.

Fantasy football managers have seen plenty of the 2019 third-round draft pick as Minnesota's primary ball-carrier. Most recently, he filled in while Cook recovered from a torn labrum.

Mattison has carried the ball 88 times for 315 yards and one touchdown in 2021. He has also caught 21 passes for 149 yards and one score.

While Cook obviously cast a big shadow in the running game, Mattison's breakout wasn't entirely unexpected because he had two solid seasons as a backup in 2019 and 2020. Over that span, he ran for 896 yards and three touchdowns in 26 games and averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

There was a point at which Mattison represented an undervalued commodity on the waiver wire:

After Cook's shoulder injury, the secret was out and the race to add Mattison was on, and the uncertainty over Cook's status going forward meant fantasy managers weren't going to jettison him after a game or two. 

Detroit's defense has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL (1,473) and is tied for ninth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). 

Per Pro Football Reference, opposing running backs are combining to score 23.2 fantasy points per game against the Lions. That's the third-highest mark in the NFL, behind only the New York Jets (28.5) and Seattle Seahawks (24.2). 

For those who were quick enough to hop on the Mattison bandwagon, he's a must-start in any format. 

Kirk Cousins is making $31 million, but that didn't stop the Vikings from putting Cook in a position to be a fantasy standout. Mattison should get more than enough touches to warrant RB1 or RB2 status, especially with a favorable matchup against a winless Lions team. 

Dalvin Cook's shoulder injury will keep him out for at least one game.

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday that Cook won't play this weekend against the Detroit Lions. 

The 26-year-old missed two games earlier in the season with an ankle issue, and his woes didn't end there. He was forced to leave a Week 12 loss against the San Francisco 49ers early with a dislocated shoulder, an injury that was expected to cost him two games. 

It was a particularly concerning injury for Cook, as he has had shoulder problems dating back to his Florida State days. 

Injuries in general have become a theme. His rookie season was cut short in 2017 with a torn ACL. In 2018, a hamstring injury cost him five games. And in 2019, a shoulder injury cost him the final two games of the regular season, though he returned for the postseason. 

When healthy, Cook has been fantastic. He's got 975 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns on 198 touches so far this season. 

In 14 games in the 2019 campaign, he rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 scores. He was even better in 2020, rushing for 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns in 14 contests. 

When Cook is able to stay on the field, he's one of the best running backs in football and a key offensive pillar for the Vikings alongside Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. 

The Vikings do have a good insurance plan in place, though, in the talented Alexander Mattison. Expect him to see the majority of the backfield work while Cook is sidelined, while Kene Nwangwu could see some touches as well.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson played in his second game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers since returning from a hamstring injury. Now, it looks like he is set to miss more time.

The Vikings announced Monday that Peterson has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the team's Week 13 game against the Detroit Lions.

Peterson suffered his hamstring injury in Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. He missed three games before returning on Nov. 21 against the Green Bay Packers. It was the first time in his 11-year career that he was forced to miss games because of an injury.

Peterson played all 70 of Minnesota's defensive snaps on Sunday against San Francisco and recorded five tackles. The Vikings lost the game 34-26 and fell to 5-6 this season.

Through eight games, Peterson has 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defended and no interceptions. It's his first season in Minnesota after spending the first 10 years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

After being selected fifth overall in the 2011 draft, the LSU All-American earned three first-team All-Pro selections. He was named to the Pro Bowl in eight consecutive seasons from 2011-18. He has 28 career interceptions and 93 passes defended. The Florida native is one of the best shutdown cornerbacks of his generation and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.

Peterson's absence is a big blow to Minnesota's defensive backfield. Second-year cornerback Cameron Dantzler is the next man up on the depth chart, while veteran corner Bashaud Breeland will be under more pressure to make up for Peterson's production.

Luckily for the Vikings, the Lions have the 29th-ranked passing offense in the league. Minnesota likely won't struggle against Detroit even with Peterson sidelined.

Minnesota Vikings star Dalvin Cook is expected to miss at least the next two games after suffering a shoulder injury in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Schefter noted the hope is Cook will be able to return for a Dec. 20 contest against the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters Monday that Cook was viewed as "day-to-day":

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier Monday that Cook had been diagnosed with a torn labrum after an MRI on his dislocated shoulder. However, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Zimmer said that wasn't the case.

Zimmer would not disclose, though, whether the running back suffered a dislocation.

According to Rapoport, Cook missed the final two regular-season games in 2019 with a similar injury. Cook returned for a playoff matchup with the New Orleans Saints, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

The two-time Pro Bowler was carted off the field during the loss to the 49ers. The team said afterward he'd be out for the remainder of the contest with a shoulder injury.

The 26-year-old has put together another big season. He has run for 734 yards and four touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 138 yards.

Alexander Mattison takes over as the primary ball-carrier when he's absent.

Mattison looked great earlier in the year when filling in for Cook. In two starts against the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, he ran for 225 yards on 51 carries. It's difficult to take much from either performance since both opponents have below-average run defenses.

At 5-6, the Vikings occupy the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Given their precarious position, losing Cook for any length of time will likely be big trouble.