The bye week came at the right time for the Minnesota Vikings. Nearly all of their walking wounded have made enough of a recovery to be full participants in the team’s Wednesday practice sessions.
The likelihood is that wide receiver Jordan Addison, left tackle Christian Darrisaw, running back Jordan Mason and tight end T.J. Hockenson will be in the lineup Sunday when the undefeated Vikings host the troubled Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.
Addison did not play in the Vikings’ Week 5 victory over the New Orleans Saints as a result of a hamstring issue. Darrisaw missed that game as a result of a concussion suffered earlier. Hockenson got hurt early in the win over the Saints after catching one pass.
All three have a chance to have a huge impact for the Vikings going forward. Addison has been the No. 2 receiver behind Justin Jefferson. Addison has explosive speed and he spent much of the offseason working with new QB Kyler Murray developing a rapport. While that hasn’t paid off to this point, head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to see a downfield passing attack become reality.
Hockenson has already shown an in-game rapport with Murray as he caught 13 passes in the Vikings’ 15-10 victory over the Dolphins. He can turn out to be an ideal third-down and red-zone weapon.
Mason has not played since Week 1 when he broke his thumb against the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings anticipated Mason sharing the workload in the backfield with Aaron Jones this season. Jones has done a solid job to this point, but Mason brings more power and can soften up the defense when he is getting 10-15 carries per game.
Darrisaw may actually turn out to be the most important of the Vikings returnees. He is without question the most talented and most important of Minnesota’s offensive linemen. He protects Murray’s blind side and he has an excellent base, a great hand punch and superb instincts. However, Darrisaw has been troubled by injuries in recent years and has had a difficult time staying on the field.
Right tackle Brian O’Neill was also back in practice as a limited participant as a result of his knee injury. The same holds for Jefferson, who has had an ankle issue. Both played against the Saints and both will be in the lineup against the Colts unless either one suffers any additional problems in practice this week.
The Colts have fallen to 2-4 and they fired general manager Chris Ballard earlier in the week because of the team’s slow start. They may very well come out like a desperate team this week, but a healthy Vikings team playing at home should have an advantage.
