McKinnon (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Lions.

Given the wide disparity in production between McKinnon (5.5 yards per carry) and starter Matt Asiata (3.7), the Vikings may eventually start shifting more of the workload to the rookie, but for now he's the clear-cut backup in this offense. Both backs may struggle to get anything going against Detroit's strong run defense.

McKinnon (ankle) is probable for Sunday's game against Detroit.

McKinnon's health is a non-issue after practicing fully all week, but there's reason for concern regarding both his workload and his efficiency. Matt Asiata figures to earn most of the touches in the Minnesota backfield, and the Detroit defense has been tough against the run and pass both.

Mckinnon (ankle) had 24 yards on seven carries and 22 yards on three receptions in Thursday's 42-10 loss to the Packers.

Working in a complementary role, McKinnon was unsurprisingly out-touched by Matt Asiata, who had 15 carries for 72 yards but also lost a fumble. The Minnesota offense was completely lost until garbage time, thanks to a disastrous showing from quarterback Christian Ponder in place of Teddy Bridgewater (ankle). While Bridgewater's likely Week 6 return should help the Minnesota offense, McKinnon will presumably still work behind Asiata in a tough matchup with the Lions.

McKinnon (ankle) is listed as active for Thursday's game against Green Bay, the Vikings' official site reports.

After racking up 135 yards on 18 carries in Week 4 against the Falcons, McKinnon is on track to remain involved in the Vikings' ground game in the coming weeks, though look for him to work in a change-of-pace role along with Matt Asiata, who carried 20 times for 78 yards with three TDs this past Sunday and is the team's preferred short-yardage option.

McKinnon (ankle) is listed as probable for Thursday's game at Green Bay, the Vikings' official site reports.

After two limited practices to start the week, McKinnon was unhinged during Wednesday's drills, leaving him available to owners in Week 5. Despite picking 18 carries for 135 yards (7.5 YPC) in Sunday's win against the Falcons, Matt Asiata remains the No. 1 back after toting the rock 20 times himself. McKinnon is merely a change-of-pace, albeit spectacular, back at the moment, with most short-yardage situations handed to Asiata.

McKinnon (ankle) remained limited in practice Tuesday.

McKinnon emerged from Sunday's win over Atlanta with a bit of an ankle concern, but he appears headed for a 'probable' designation in advance of Thursday's game against Green Bay, after practicing in a limited capacity both Monday and Tuesday. The 22-year-old totaled 135 yards on 18 carries last week -- he had just five carries through the first three games -- and has almost certainly earned a larger role moving forward. That said, Matt Asiata will likely continue to serve as the primary rusher, handling any short-yardage and goal-line work.

McKinnon (ankle) was a limited participant at Monday's practice, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

We'll track McKinnon's status in the coming days, but there's been nothing to suggest that his availability for Thursday's game against the Packers is in danger. After running for 135 yards on 18 carries on Sunday, we'd expect McKinnon to remain involved in the Vikings' ground game moving forward, though look for him to work in a change-of-pace capacity in tandem with Matt Asiata, who carried 20 times for 78 yards with three TDs on Sunday.

McKinnon busted out in Sunday's win over Atlanta, rushing for 135 yards on 18 carries. He also caught one pass on three targets for 17 yards.

McKinnon rewarded fantasy owners that showed patience with him, although starter Matt Asiata received 20 carries and ran for three touchdowns. Without jumping the gun, it wouldn't be crazy to expect McKinnon to continue to be heavily involved, while Asiata is given lots of work too, especially around the goal line.

McKinnon had two carries for minus-one rushing yard and two catches on five targets for nine receiving yards Sunday against the Saints.

Despite talk that McKinnon could be getting some touches from starter Matt Asiata, it just hasn't happened yet, as the latter finished with 12 carries for 35 rushing yards and three catches for 36 receiving yards Sunday. While the Vikings have a decent matchup in Week 4 against the Falcons, who have struggled against the run this season, McKinnon is just not getting enough touches to warrant consideration in most fantasy leagues.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner says he'll stick with the hot hand between Matt Asiata and McKinnon, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While Asiata will likely start this week against the Saints with Adrian Peterson deactivated, it sounds like the Vikings could be moving to a committee system or at least giving McKinnon a shot at a larger role. McKinnon only had two carries last week against the Patriots.

McKinnon carried twice for seven yards and caught two passes for five yards in Sunday's 30-7 loss to the Patriots.

At this point, McKinnon is clearly behind Sunday's starter at running back, Matt Asiata, who carried 13 times for 36 yards and recorded five catches for 48 yards with a TD in the Vikings' Week 2 loss.

The Vikings have deactivated Adrian Peterson for Sunday's game against the Patriots, the team's official site reports.

Matt Asiata will likely start with McKinnon serving as the backup running back.

McKinnon had one carry for one yard and was on the field for three plays on offense in Sunday's win over St. Louis.

McKinnon could eventually overtake Matt Asiata for the backup running back role or find a third-down role, but it looks like the rookie will have a limited role in the offense initially.

Working behind Matt Asiata, McKinnon gained 43 yards on six carries and nine yards on two receptions in Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs.

Asiata was also productive while starting in place of Adrian Peterson (rest), picking up 48 yards on 11 carries and 34 yards on two receptions. The usage indicates that Asiata is still second on the depth chart, but it's hard to ignore the veteran's utter lack of athleticism in comparison to McKinnon's incredible combination of size and strength. In the event of a Peterson injury, McKinnon would presumably have some kind of role in the offense.

McKinnon rushed for 45 yards on 12 carries in Friday's preseason opener against the Raiders.

McKinnon, a third-round rookie out of then-FCS Georgia Southern, is competing against Matt Asiata to serve as Adrian Peterson's primary backup. Asiata worked as the starter in Peterson's absence, while McKinnon played most of the first half, and then saw a few snaps in the third quarter. The rookie running back did most of the heavy lifting on the field-goal drive led by Teddy Bridgewater, who was wholly unimpressive in his NFL debut. Although the winner of the Asiata-McKinnon battle doesn't figure to see many touches so long as Peterson stays healthy, a part-time third-down role could be part of the deal. McKinnon returned two kickoffs in Friday's game, but Cordarrelle Patterson is expected to handle those once the regular season begins.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "it seems like every day" rookie RB Jerick McKinnon Jerick McKinnon grabs your attention with his athleticism."

The top-100 pick reportedly made a sweet juke on a swing pass in Wednesday's practice to elude CB Kendall James before planting his foot in the ground and "shooting into the secondary." McKinnon is an interesting Dynasty prospect with 4.41 jets, a highly explosive 11-foot broad jump, and a 40 1/2-inch vertical at 5-foot-9, 209. There's a chance he's Adrian Peterson's heir apparent.

Adrian Peterson says he was impressed by third-round pick Jerick McKinnon during spring practices.

McKinnon dabbled at quarterback in college and is relatively raw, so it would be nice to see "A.D." take him under his wing. "He's pretty impressive and there's not too many guys who impress me like that, especially rookies coming in," Peterson said. "He's been able to do some real good things in the offense, picking it up well and just his running style." The Vikings hope McKinnon contributes on third downs as a rookie. He may be Peterson's heir apparent.