Vikings Injury Report: Anthony Barr, Tyler Conklin, Christian Darrisaw Limited Wednesday
The Vikings released their first injury report of the season ahead of their opener in Cincinnati on Sunday, and everyone on the 53-man roster practiced in some capacity.
Three players were limited: linebacker Anthony Barr (knee), left tackle Christian Darrisaw (groin), and tight end Tyler Conklin (hamstring). Here's the full injury report:
Westbrook, Mattison, and Metellus practicing in full is good news, as is the fact that players like Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen aren't listed on the injury report at all.
As for the three limited participants, I'd rank them in this order in terms of their likelihood to be active against the Bengals: 1) Conklin, 2) Barr, 3) Darrisaw.
Conklin missed a couple weeks recently with the hamstring injury he suffered in mid-August, but all the reports have been that it's a minor issue that the Vikings are simply exercising significant caution with. Conklin himself hasn't expressed any concern about his Week 1 availability.
"It was very minor in the first place, but [hamstrings] can be tricky so it’s just about easing into it," he said last week. "Sometimes you think you feel good and then you want to go out there and test it. So you just don’t test. You take the time that you have to make it feel better and we’ll be all good Week 1."
The Vikings need Conklin to play a major role now that Irv Smith Jr. is likely out for the year. If he for some reason can't go, they'd be down to Brandon Dillon and recent acquisitions Chris Herndon and Ben Ellefson at TE. I'd expect Conklin to be good to go on Sunday, but it would be good to see him upgraded to full participation on Thursday or Friday.
As for Barr, who knows? He seems like close to a toss-up at this point, but that's just speculation. Barr returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time in roughly a month, having been sidelined by a knee issue.
"He’s going to get a little work done today," Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday morning.
"You guys always correct me, but he seems really good today. Now how he feels tomorrow or the next day or the next day, I don’t know. So he’s excited today. He feels really good. He’s had a good last week, weekend, so we’re hopeful he plays. I don’t know, honestly."
It would be a quick turnaround for Barr to get on the field on Sunday, but the Vikings sound hopeful that he can do it. If he's not out there, it would be a big loss, and Nick Vigil would step into an every-down role against his former team.
It's safe to say Darrisaw isn't going to play in Cincy, and it would be surprising if he was even active. All he did were individual drills in his return to practice on Wednesday, and he's got a ways to go to be able to step into the starting lineup for Rashod Hill.
RB Kene Nwangwu and WR Dan Chisena are on short-term injured reserve for the Vikings, so they'll be eligible to return Week 4 at the earliest.
For the Bengals, only cornerback Trae Waynes was not at their practice on Wednesday. He's already been ruled out for Sunday's game, which is good news for the Vikings' receivers.
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