Vikings' Monday practice provides hints on various injured players

The Vikings' first official injury report of the week won't be out until Wednesday, but because they had a mini bye over the weekend, they held a practice on Monday afternoon. Reports on participation from media members in attendance at TCO Performance Center provide some hints on the statuses of various injured players as the week of preparation for a huge trip to Detroit gets underway.

Not spotted at practice was veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, who started the last five games for Minnesota while J.J. McCarthy was sidelined by a high ankle sprain. Wentz came into last Thursday's game against the Chargers dealing with a left shoulder injury, and he took an absolute beating over the course of the night — to the point where it was surprising Kevin O'Connell didn't take him out of the game for his own protection.

McCarthy is fully expected to make his return on Sunday against the Lions. If Wentz doesn't progress throughout the week, rookie Max Brosmer would be the Vikings' backup quarterback, and they'd potentially need to think about signing someone to be an emergency No. 3 option. With that said, it's only Monday, so there's time for Wentz — and others who missed practice — to ramp up their activity over the course of the week.

On that note, the other notable players who weren't on the practice field on Monday were outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard and tight end Josh Oliver. Greenard picked up an ankle injury against the Chargers, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power and seemingly could've returned to the game if the score had been closer. The Vikings very much need him to be available to have a chance to slow down the Lions' high-powered offense. Oliver suffered a foot/ankle injury in the first quarter of that game and did not return.

The good news is that Christian Darrisaw, Brian O'Neill, and Andrew Van Ginkel were all spotted at Monday's practice. Darrisaw and O'Neill are both dealing with knee injuries and were unable to play on Thursday after playing extensive snaps four days earlier. Whether they're available this week will depend on how their knees respond throughout the week. Van Ginkel has been dealing with a neck injury but appears to be getting close to a return to action. Kevin O'Connell provided some encouraging updates about those three players on Friday.

The official injury reports on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week will be worth keeping a close eye on.