Now Playing
Share Video
Link copied!

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

Coming off his first absence of the season in the Vikings' Week 15 overtime loss to the Bengals, Mattison turned in just one limited practice this week, but the coaching and training staffs apparently came away encouraged enough with his health to give him the green light to play Saturday. However, Mattison likely isn't close to 100 percent healthy and could be in store for a smaller role than usual out of the backfield, as Ty Chandler is expected to serve as the team's lead back, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Head coach Kevin O'Connell hasn't outlined his plans for the backfield beyond Week 16, though he suggested earlier in the week that Chandler could have an opportunity to stake his claim to the No. 1 role beyond Sunday's game. Chandler broke out for the best performance by a Minnesota running back all season in last week's loss to Cincinnati, finishing with 132 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries to go with three catches for 25 yards on four targets. Mattison, meanwhile, is averaging a middling 3.9 yards per carry and hasn't found the end zone on 168 carries through 13 appearances.

More News