Cook has a chance to play Week 17

Vikings HC Mike Zimmer said Monday that he's "hopeful" to get RB Dalvin Cook back for Sunday night's game vs. the Packers. Cook is eligible to be activated from the COVID list on Saturday, so there won't be any surefire news on his Week 17 status until then. If Cook manages to play vs. Green Bay, he'd do so without a single practice rep this week. But we'd still expect to see him in a high-volume role.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer hears that RB Dalvin Cook is now likely to remain with the Vikings for the 2023 season. "The Vikings have told other teams they're cap clean now, so there’s no urgency at this point to offload Cook," Breer writes. It sounds like Cook might still be available if another team was hot for him, but that seems unlikely considering Cook's age (28 in August), injury history, and cap hit ($14.1 million). We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but you should be drafting for now as if Cook will be a Viking this season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the Vikings might cut RB Dalvin Cook before the NFL Draft at the end of this month. Cook compiled 1,468 total yards and 10 TDs last year, finishing 10th among RBs in PPR points. But he ranked just 41st among 48 qualifying RBs in rush yards over expected per attempt, turns 28 in August, and is recovering from shoulder surgery. Cook carries a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, although releasing him would save Minnesota just $5.9 million. The Vikings have also talked to at least one team about a Cook trade, Fowler adds. (The Dolphins have previously been rumored to be interested.) We'll see where this goes over the next couple of weeks, but Cook is a risky pick in current best-ball drafts. His departure would leave RB Alexander Mattison atop Minnesota's depth chart -- barring a significant addition in the draft.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook is making "excellent progress" in his recovery from mid-February shoulder surgery, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That procedure addressed a broken shoulder that Cook suffered back in 2019 and has been playing through since. The shoulder is "now 100% stable and stronger," per Pelissero. It doesn't sound like this will impact Cook's availability for the 2023 season. He's been mentioned as a potential trade or even cut candidate -- but this shoulder issue might be holding up any potential move. Perhaps something transpires the week of the NFL Draft. Stay tuned.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook underwent surgery today to address a broken shoulder that he suffered back in 2019, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Cook has dealt with a plethora of shoulder issues throughout his football career: a labrum tear in 2014 at Florida State, a re-injury in college in 2016, the aforementioned 2019 injury, a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in 2021 and another injury this past September. Cook's agency suggested in a statement that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 season, but we'll look for more details on the procedure and Cook's exact timeline for return. He turns 28 in August.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook tallied 15 carries for 60 rushing yards and 6 receptions on 7 targets for 10 yards in Sunday's Wild Card loss vs. the Giants. This inefficient outing is undoubtedly disappointing for fantasy managers who enlisted the help of Cook for points. It's worth noting that the Vikings have an out in Cook's contract that could make him a free agent in 2023 should they choose to exercise it. Such a move would carry a dead cap hit just north of $6 million and is merely hypothetical at this point. He'll be a name to watch this offseason just in case.