Mattison (ankle) may not practice Thursday, but coach Mike Zimmer said the running back is "doing better" and has "a good chance" to play Monday against the Packers, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mattison didn't practice last week due to an ankle injury that resulted in the Vikings ruling out the rookie RB on their final Week 15 injury report. Meanwhile, the team doesn't expect to have starter Dalvin Cook (shoulder) on the game-day roster Monday and potentially for the season finale as well, per ESPN.com. If Mattison does take the field Thursday, it'll be a "low key" session, according to Zimmer. In any case, Mattison could set himself on a path to the lead role if he participates Thursday and maintains or even increases his activity level in the coming days. Behind Cook and Mattison, the next players up in the Vikings' backfield are Mike Boone, fullback C.J. Ham and Ameer Abdullah.