Team news: Carolina Panthers | Page 37

With Adam Thielen out, the Vikings would likely turn to rookie Bisi Johnson again.

“It felt really good,” Johnson said. “That just shows how much confidence the coaches have in me, and how much confidence [quarterback] Kirk [Cousins] obviously has in me. I can go out there and make plays all the time. That’s what I’m here for; that’s why I’m here. I’m here to make plays, and I’ll do just that.”

Johnson was targeted 8 times after taking over for Thielen. Johnson played 52 of the team’s 73 snaps and caught four passes for 40 yards, including his first NFL touchdown. Thielen's hamstring injury isn't believed to be serious.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen will get an MRI and Ian Rapoport said "it's hard to imagine" Thielen playing on Thursday night.

Rapoport added "stranger things have happened" but doesn't seem to think Thielen will be able to go on Thursday against the Redskins. The injury isn't considered serious but the timing is bad for Thielen and his owners. Remember, we reported Thielen said Sunday he thought he could play in Week 8, but like we said, player self-diagnosis like that can't always be trusted. He's a question mark at best.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen exited the matchup after suffering a hamstring injury on a first-quarter touchdown catch against the Lions. Thielen says he'll get an MRI on his hamstring but he's optimistic he'll play Thursday against the Redskins.

Obviously a short week puts into question his availability, and we know we can't really trust a player when giving medical information. But it's somewhat good news that Thielen at least thinks he can go on a short week.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen was ruled out for the second half of the Minnesota Vikings' Week 7 showdown with NFC North rival Detroit after injuring his right hamstring while hauling in a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

The hope is, obviously, Thielen can bounce back quickly. He was seen on the sideline trying to stretch and wasn't ruled out until after halftime. But to complicate matters, the Vikings play on a short week at home against Washington in Week 8.

Miles Sanders is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, which ranks 24th of 30 running backs with at least 50 carries.

But he’s caught 13 passes for 219 yards, the eighth-most receiving yards in the league by a running back. He’s got five catches of 30 yards or more — he had only one in college — and that’s more than every wide receiver in the NFL other than Will Fuller of the Texans and D.J. Chark of the Jaguars.

Related players: Jordan Howard

QB Carson Wentz and Sanders have connected on several wheel routes, and the duo looks like they've been running that play for years. Sanders admits he hasn't shown much in the run game, according to the story, which has left the door open for Howard. But look for Sanders to continue to be used in the passing game at the very least.

Adam Thielen was excused from practice for an illness he felt coming on Wednesday. Unlike Stefon Digg's "illness" that got him fined $200,00, it appears Thielen is actually sick.

Unless Adam Thielen has trouble getting over his illness by Sunday, we should expect a strong game in a good matchup against the Eagles' secondary.

Doug Peterson said Jordan Howard will get a higher percentage of the carries moving forward.

Related players: Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles

With Sproles banged up and considered week-to-week, Howard will seemingly at least eat up those touches. But Howard has just looked to be the better back in the early going and the question really is what took so long to get him more involved. Howard is worth a pickup as a flex play as it sounds like Sanders will still be part of the offense, especially in the passing game. The Birds get a tough matchup at Minnesota next week, keep in mind.