Conflicting Availability from MN Vikings Latest Injury Report

The Minnesota Vikings are set to welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. For the first time this season they’ll play a game that’s not tied to a premium time slot.

Kevin O’Connell is forced to ready his team under a new quarterback. After an ankle injury forced J.J. McCarthy from the starting lineup, Carson Wentz has now been tabbed to take over.

The quarterback position isn’t the only spot that has been hit by the injury bug, but Thursday’s report suggests things could be looking up.

Another starter returns to practice for Vikings

Last weekend the Minnesota Vikings were without both Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah. That tandem suffered concussions and remained out of action. Okudah was good for practice on Wednesday, and Van Ginkel returned to a full session on Thursday.

Thursday's #Vikings injury report pic.twitter.com/QVtV2Gkizq

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 18, 2025

It’s a positive for Brian Flores’ defense to see both Okudah and Van Ginkel trending towards availability this weekend. Last week Fabian Moreau was elevated from the practice squad, and Dallas Turner was fo rced into a greater level of production.

Darrisaw was out of action today after being a full participant on Wednesday. That is intentional as he continues to get back into the first team level of defense.

Minnesota has some serious depth on defense, but the reality is that they can’t simply ask the next man up to keep the same level of production. The cornerback room has been thin from the get go, and you’re never going to replace a starting edge rusher.

Harrison Smith making his 2025 debut would be more than welcomed. He has been out of action since early August with an undisclosed illness, and cementing the back-end of the defense could do that side of the ball wonders.

The vast majority of Minnesota’s limited participants from Wednesday replicated their status on Thursday. Where they ultimately check in on Friday will be telling, and set the team up for this weekend’s level of certainty.

Related: Good News on Key Minnesota Vikings Injuries

The more Minnesota can generate push and production from their offensive live, the better off they will be. It would be ideal to see Darrisaw return to the staring lineup, and being joined by Smith on the back end would be more than welcomed. At some point, the Vikings have to get both healthy and right.

The sooner that can happen, the better.