Will Dalvin Cook play vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 4?

After missing last week’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is expected to return against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Last week against the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings managed to walk off the field with a victory despite running back Dalvin Cook not being in the lineup. On Sunday, the Vikings and Cook will attempt to add another win to their 2021 record when they take on the Cleveland Browns inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

Minnesota released their final injury report for Week 4 on Friday and Cook is officially listed as questionable for the matchup with the Browns.

Despite his designation on the injury report, Cook is reportedly expected to be in the lineup for the Vikings when they take on Cleveland this weekend according to NFL Media’s Tom Peliserro.

Dalvin Cook expected to return for Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 vs. the Cleveland Browns

Without Cook on the field against the Seahawks last week, Minnesota still managed to gain 140 yards on the ground. In the third start of his NFL career, Alexander Mattison led all Vikings players in Week 3 with 112 rushing yards.

Despite Minnesota’s continued success on the ground last week, getting Cook back on the field will provide a big boost for the team’s offense when they go up against a tough Browns defense.

The fifth-year running back always seems to add a little more juice to the Vikings’ offense during games in which he returns after missing the previous matchup. Since 2018, Minnesota is 3-1 in games (including the playoffs) where Cook is back in the starting lineup after being inactive during the team’s previous contest.

With how well Mattison was able to play last week, it will be interesting to see how big of a load the Vikings give to Cook on Sunday. Mattison’s success against the Seahawks might cause Minnesota to feel more comfortable giving Cook more opportunities to rest and not sustain as much punishment from Cleveland’s defense.

Whatever sort of role he has this week, the Vikings’ offense will be significantly more dangerous with Cook on the field. With his expected return, Minnesota should have an excellent chance to improve their record to 2-2 this weekend.

(Update: The expectation for Cook in Week 4 remains that he will play according to multiple reports on Sunday.)