Injured Starters Expected to Sit for Preseason Opener vs. Houston

Jul 26, 2013; Mankato, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) signs autographs for fans during training camp at Minnesota State University. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Preseason begins Friday night for the Vikings when they face the Houston Texans in Minnesota. Actually strike that. Preseason starts for MOST of the Vikings Friday night against Houston. A handful of players, including several big-name veterans, will have to wait at least until next week for that first savory taste of preseason action.

The list of Vikings expected to sit Friday night includes rookie Xavier Rhodes, who has been nursing a bad hamstring for a week now. That’s disappointing for those of us who have been looking forward to finally seeing the young man in Vikings gear. But of course there’s no reason to rush him out there in a meaningless game. Plenty of time for him to make his debut.

Other stars expected to sit include Jared Allen, who tweaked his ankle the other day, Desmond Bishop who has a bad groin and Harrison Smith who twisted his ankle. Allen as we know will be happy to sit since he hates camp and preseason. Bishop apparently wants to play, if only to show everyone that he’s not a broken-down wreck, but Leslie Frazier has evidently put the kibosh on that notion.

I expect there will be other veteran scratches as we near kickoff time. We will probably see at least a little action from Adrian Peterson, who as far as I know is 100% healthy, but not for more than a token appearance. First preseason game equals lots of scrubs.

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