Vikings-Falcons Wednesday Injury Report: DNPs For Dalvin Cook, Julio Jones

Alexander Mattison is likely in line for his first career start this weekend against Atlanta.

This Sunday's Vikings-Falcons game might unfortunately have to take place without two of the game's most talented offensive weapons. Dalvin Cook and Julio Jones are each among the very few best players at their positions in the league, but neither practiced on Wednesday and the status of both is up in the air heading into this weekend.

Cook seems highly unlikely to play through the groin strain he suffered last Sunday night in Seattle, especially with the Vikings having a bye in Week 7. Multiple outlets have reported that he'll sit out this game, as there seems to be little reason to rush him back for a matchup of teams with a combined 1-9 record.

Unsurprisingly, Mike Zimmer was noncommittal when asked about Cook on Wednesday. "I talked to him today and he said he’s feeling really good," Zimmer said. "So we’ll see how it goes.”

Cook confirmed that he feels better, saying that "we’re going to take this thing day by day, just see how it feels after treatment and everything." Cook has, of course, dealt with injuries in each of his four years in the NFL, so he knows how this all works. 

"You kind of have to let your body naturally heal," he said. "I’m in year four, I kind of know how this thing pretty much operates. I’m going to get as much treatment as I can, I’m going to stay on my same routine, nothing’s going to change. On the play, I have turned on that same screen play 100 times and it was just a freak accident, it’s part of football. I’m going to stay committed to what I do and I’m going to see what’s the outcome of it come Sunday."

With all of that said, I'd be shocked if Cook plays on Sunday, just given the opponent and the timing with it being a shorter week and having the bye coming up afterwards. I fully expect Alexander Mattison to handle the lead running back duties against Atlanta, with Mike Boone mixed in as a change-of-pace back.

Also not practicing for the Vikings on Wednesday were cornerback Holton Hill (foot), defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson (back), and return specialist K.J. Osborn (hamstring). Kris Boyd, Garrett Bradbury, and C.J. Ham were limited.

For the Falcons, Jones – who is arguably the greatest wide receiver of the past decade – has been significantly bothered by a hamstring injury this year. He torched the Seahawks for 157 yards in Week 1, but has missed most of the past four games. We'll see if he's able to return this week, even if he's not at 100 percent.

Atlanta, led by new interim coach Raheem Morris, had a number of key players limited on Wednesday, including DT Grady Jarrett, TE Hayden Hurst, WR Russell Gage, S Keanu Neal, and DE Dante Fowler.

Here's the full injury report:

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