Cook (illness) practiced fully Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Following his activation from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Cook had his practice reps capped, likely due to a lack of conditioning considering he spent nearly one week away from team facilities. With his return to all activity Thursday, he's set for a Week 17 visit to Green Bay. When he previously faced the Packers back in Week 11, Cook compiled 115 yards from scrimmage and one TD on 25 touches.

Cook (illness) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

When players are activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, they are often listed this way as they get their sea legs under them following their respective bouts with the virus. Cook is following that precedent with a cap on his practice reps Wednesday, but he'll have two more opportunities to get in a full session this week before the Vikings potentially clear him to play Sunday in Green Bay.

Cook (illness) cleared league protocols Wednesday and will be available for Sunday's game in Green Bay, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cook thus figures to return to his lead role in the Minnesota backfield after missing Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Rams. Some players have seen reduced workloads in their first game back from a bout with COVID-19, but Cook's return to practice early in the week helps his odds of avoiding that outcome. He initially was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last Thursday.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that he hopes Cook (illness) clears league protocols and is activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's game at Green Bay, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cook tested positive for the virus last Thursday, and as an unvaccinated player he immediately entered into a 10-day quarantine. He missed a Week 16 loss to the Rams as a result, but if he follows the precedent set by backfield mate Alexander Mattison, who spent Dec. 13-22 on the COVID-19 list as an unvaccinated player, Cook should return to the active roster Saturday. Assuming he does so, Cook would face a Packers defense Sunday that allowed him to go for 115 yards from scrimmage and one TD on 25 touches back in Week 11.

The Vikings placed Cook (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to a positive test for the virus, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cook thus will embark on a 10-day quarantine as an unvaccinated player and won't be available for Sunday's pivotal matchup with the Rams and potentially even a Jan. 2 divisional game at Green Bay. As long as Cook is sidelined, Alexander Mattison will be the Vikings' lead running back, which translated to 89 touches for 448 yards from scrimmage and two total TDs in three prior spot starts this season.

The Vikings placed Cook on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Though Minnesota hasn't revealed whether Cook tested positive for the virus, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that the running back has been following the NFL's protocols for unvaccinated players this season. With that in mind, he'll have to complete a five-day quarantine if he was deemed a close contact of an infected person, or a 10-day quarantine if he tested positive for the virus. That means that Cook won't be available to play for at least Sunday's game against the Rams, and he could also be at risk of missing a Week 17 matchup with Green Bay on Jan. 2 if he tested positive. Minnesota returned Alexander Mattison from the reserve/COVID-list Wednesday after he previously sat out the Vikings' Week 15 win over the Bears, so he'll likely be in line for a turn as Minnesota's lead back against the Rams.

Cook rushed 28 times for 89 yards and brought in two of three targets for two yards in the Vikings' 17-9 win over the Bears on Monday night.

EDGE Analysis

Cook had to work for every blade of grass Monday, with the 3.2 yards per carry he averaged qualifying as his lowest since the Week 1 overtime loss to the Bengals. The fifth-year back's night was exponentially more difficult than his 205-yard outburst against the Steelers in Week 14, but Cook helped churn out some key yards and keep the defense from keying even further on Kirk Cousins, who was still sacked four times and hit on seven occasions overall. Cook has cleared the 80-yard mark in five of the last six games heading into a critical Week 16 home date against the Rams.

Cook (shoulder) rushed 27 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns and brought in one of three targets for 17 yards in the Vikings' 36-28 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

EDGE Analysis

Cook set the tone for his prolific night with a 20-yard run on his first carry, and he went on to add 29- and seven-yard touchdown scampers before halftime. The fifth-year back look completely unhampered by the shoulder injury that had caused his Week 13 absence, and his yardage tally was just a yard short of the career-best 206 he'd accumulated against the Lions back in Week 9 of last season. Cook will now have some extra days to rest and heal up further before a Week 15 NFC North clash against the Bears a week from Monday night.

Cook (shoulder) is listed as active Thursday against the Steelers.

EDGE Analysis

Cook thus will miss just one game as a result of the dislocated left shoulder that he sustained during a Week 12 loss at San Francisco. He'll operate with a shoulder harness, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Cook wore such a device in the Vikings' wild-card win against the Saints in January 2020, when he went off for 130 yards from scrimmage and two rushing TDs on 31 touches. In any case, he'll push Alexander Mattison down the pecking order in the Vikings backfield, but the latter still may have a role in the offense.

The Vikings are regarding Cook (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest against the Steelers, as a game-time decision, Josina Anderson of USA Today reports.

EDGE Analysis

Anderson's report implies that Cook's availability is more up in the air for Week 14 after Tom Pelissero of NFL Network relayed earlier Thursday that the running back was "trending toward" making his return from a one-game absence due to a dislocated left shoulder. Ultimately, a decision on Cook's status will likely come down to how he fares in a pregame warmup, with feedback from both the running back and team doctors likely to weigh heavily into the matter. More reports regarding which direction Cook is trending could come in as the day progresses, but a final word on his status one way or the other won't arrive until Minnesota releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.