Bears get No. 1 pick after Texans rally for win at Indy
Thanks to an old friend, the Chicago Bears are on the clock for the NFL draftJANUARY 8, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 7-2 · 2ND IN NFC NORTH
7-2 · 2ND IN NFC NORTH
Next Game at Titans · Today 6:00PM
MIN -6.0 TOTAL 39.5
K.J. Osborn - Tops century mark Osborn caught five of six targets for 117 yards in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears.
Impact Osborn led the Vikings in receiving, with most of his production coming prior to the team's decision to rest its offensive starters during the second half. The 25-year-old enjoyed a strong finish to the regular season, scoring three times while topping 115 yards twice over his last five games. His complementary playmaking figures to bolster quarterback Kirk Cousins' options as Minnesota now turns its attention toward the playoffs.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Alexander Mattison - Scores twice in finale Mattison rushed 10 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears.
Impact Mattison's season-best performance included a pair of one-yard touchdowns. With Minnesota opting to rest its starters during the second half, Mattison filled Dalvin Cook's lead tailback role to begin the third quarter. Once the Vikings take the field in the playoffs, however, Mattison should return to his usual backup job.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Kirk Cousins - Makes abbreviated appearance Cousins completed 17 of 20 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears.
Impact Cousins' output came despite him only playing the first half of Sunday's game. With Minnesota preparing for the playoffs, backup Nick Mullens filled in while Cousins was rested after halftime. In the wake of a poor performance in Green Bay last weekend, Cousins' improvement Sunday -- when he set a season high for completion percentage -- should help his confidence heading into the postseason.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Dalvin Cook - Only plays first half Cook rushed 11 times for 37 yards and lost a fumble in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears. He also caught his only target for no gain.
Impact Cook's involvement was limited to the first half, as the Vikings decided to rest their offensive starters after halftime. While that situation opened the door for backup Alexander Mattison to rush 10 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns, Cook didn't have his best performance prior to being rested, as he was held under 40 rushing yards for the second straight week and lost his fourth fumble of the campaign. Nonetheless, Cook figures to reclaim his leading tailback role once Minnesota takes the field in the playoffs.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Justin Jefferson - Rested during second half Jefferson caught four of five targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Bears.
Impact Jefferson's production came exclusively during the first half, as Minnesota opted to rest its offensive starters following halftime. The decision restricted Jefferson to his second straight game with under 40 receiving yards, a steep decline from his league-leading production. With the Vikings now slated to host a playoff game, however, Jefferson will strive to be back at his best the next time he takes the field.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Cousins dominates first half as Vikings beat Bears 29-13
Kirk Cousins threw for 225 yards and a touchdown in the first half and watched the rest of the way as the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings tuned up for the playoffs by beating...JANUARY 8, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brian Asamoah II - Out Week 18 Asamoah (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game at Chicago, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Impact Asamoah sustained the injury during last week's loss to the Packers, and he'll be unavailable for the final game of the regular season. The rookie third-round pick recorded 17 tackles (11 solo) and one forced fumble in 16 games this year.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Cameron Dantzler Sr. - Unavailable Sunday Dantzler (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bears, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Impact Dantzler was questionable with an ankle issue and won't be available for Sunday's regular-season finale. The 24-year-old has seen action in only two of Minnesota's past eight games.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Za'Darius Smith - Inactive against Chicago Smith (personal) is inactive for Sunday's regular season finale against Chicago, Andrew Kramer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Impact Smith traveled with the team but did not warm up and will not play. The Vikings may be playing it safe with Smith's health ahead of the playoffs.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Irv Smith Jr. - Comes off IR Smith (ankle) was activated off injured reserve Saturday.
Impact The trade-deadline addition of T.J. Hockenson has limited the impact of Smith's inevitable return, but the multi-year starter is still a perfect complement in two-tight end sets and likely could be a factor in the Vikings' playoff push. Prior to suffering the ankle injury in Week 8, Smith tallied 22 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns as arguably the team's third option behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Jonathan Bullard - Restored to active roster The Vikings activated Bullard (biceps) from injured reserve Saturday.
Impact Bullard has missed the past four games while on IR with a biceps injury. The 29-year-old was then designated to return to practice Thursday, and he's now set to play again at the earliest possible opportunity heading into Sunday's regular-season finale versus Chicago. With James Lynch still sitting out Week 18 due to a shoulder injury, Bullard should be first in line for additional reps behind starting defensive ends Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Phillips.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Harrison Smith - Out for regular-season finale Smith (knee) will not play in Sunday's game against the Bears, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
Impact Smith developed what the Vikings believe to be some knee soreness following the team's practice Friday, per Seifert, and it appears Minnesota is taking the precautious route heading into the playoffs. The 33-year-old safety has recorded 85 tackles and 10 passes defended, including five interceptions, this season. No matter the outcome of this Week 18 contest, Minnesota is guaranteed to host a home playoff game during the wild-card round of the playoffs, so it will be worth keeping an eye on Smith's practice activity early on next week.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Akayleb Evans - Trending toward return Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Friday that Evans (concussion) cleared protocols and is still being monitored heading into the playoffs, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer P...
Impact Evans has missed the last four games while on IR with a concussion, leaving Week 18 as his earliest possible date to return. However, the rookie cornerback was never designated to return to practice during Week 18 prep, so he's unlikely to be restored to the active roster in time for Sunday's regular-season finale versus Chicago. It will be worth monitoring how Evans' practice activity is handled heading into the wild-card round of the playoffs next week.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Cameron Dantzler Sr. - Iffy to play Sunday Dantzler (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears.
Impact Dantzler sat out Week 16 with a tweaked ankle before returning in time for last Sunday's loss to Green Bay. However, it appears he may have aggravated this issue after popping up as a limited participant during practice Friday, leaving his status up in the air Week 18. Should Dantzler sit out, Kris Boyd and Kalon Barnes should serve as Minnesota's primary reserves behind top cornerbacks Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Garrett Bradbury - Officially out Week 18 Bradbury (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears.
Impact Bradbury will miss his fifth consecutive contest while dealing with a back injury. However, it appears the 27-year-old could still manage to return in time for the divisional round of the playoffs starting next week, according to Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports. In his stead, either Chris Reed or Greg Mancz could step in as Minnesota's starting center Week 18.
JANUARY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Justin Jefferson - May not play full game Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Jefferson and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nels...
Impact Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Jefferson and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
T.J. Hockenson - May not play full game Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Hockenson and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nels...
Impact Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Hockenson and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Dalvin Cook - May not play full game Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Cook and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nelson of...
Impact Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Cook and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Kirk Cousins - May not play full game Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Cousins and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nelson...
Impact Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Cousins and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Za'Darius Smith - Questionable, but expected to play Smith (personal) is questionable for Sunday's matchup in Chicago, but he's still expected to play against the Bears, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Impact Per Goessling, it's unclear if Smith will travel with the team to Chicago, but the star pass rusher is expected to join the Vikings before Sunday's game. After recording 9.5 sacks over his first nine appearances with Minnesota, Smith has mustered just half a sack across the past seven games.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Irv Smith Jr. - To be activated The Vikings plan to activate Smith (ankle) from injured reserve before Sunday's game against Chicago, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Impact Smith will return as the team's No. 2 tight end, behind trade-deadline addition T.J. Hockenson, with the talented duo potentially inspiring head coach Kevin O'Connell to use more two-tight end sets and fewer looks with three wide receivers and/or fullback C.J. Ham. However it plays out, Smith was designated to return from IR last week and apparently will make it back for the final game of the regular season as a tuneup for the playoffs.
JANUARY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
