Vikings Injury Report: Adam Thielen Doubtful, Riley Reiff Questionable
Only two names appear on the final injury report of the week for the Vikings. Wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) is doubtful, and left tackle Riley Reiff (concussion) is questionable.
Thielen's doubtful tag means it's very unlikely he'll play on Sunday against the Lions. That would be his eighth straight missed game if you begin with the Vikings' last matchup with Detroit, in which he left the game after suffering the injury while catching a first-quarter touchdown. Thielen's status isn't surprising, given that he didn't practice once this week.
At this point, time is running out for Thielen's hamstring to heal so he can come back and impact the end of this season.
Reiff projects to be a game-time decision. The Vikings' left tackle has been solid this season, but playing backup Rashod Hill doesn't necessarily mean a major drop-off in production. The Vikings coaching staff has expressed confidence in Hill, who can play both tackle positions and has appeared in 39 games over the past four years.
"I think Rashod (Hill) has proven to be very versatile," offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski said. "He’s our swing tackle, so he has to be ready to go in on the right side, on the left side. You saw in that game he came in and I thought performed pretty well. Riley’s a captain of this team, certainly want him out there. If he’s not available to go, that’s why you have backups that are on point like Rashod like he showed this last week. Rashod is certainly a guy that we’ve leaned on. He’s came in during a game before. He’s come in during the week. He’s really taken the bit as being a player that is always ready to go."
The good news is that with only Thielen and Reiff listed on the final injury report, everyone else is ready to go. That means Dalvin Cook is playing, though Alexander Mattison may see more snaps than usual with Cook banged up. It also means Linval Joseph is good to go once again.
