Cornerback Brandon McDonald has emerged as Tampa Bay’s primary nickel back, but he could be unavailable Thursday night against the Vikings.
McDonald appears to be the Bucs’ only real injury concern heading into their prime-time outing at Minnesota. On Wednesday, he was designated as questionable on the team’s official injury report due to an ankle ailment; the other four players on Tampa Bay’s list are all marked as probable.
Minnesota submitted a much longer injury report, but it’s not likely to affect Thursday’s lineup much. Reserves TE John Carlson (concussion) and S Mistral Raymond (ankle) have all been ruled out, but the other 12 players on the list are all considered probable. That includes DE Jared Allen, RB Adrian Peterson and QB Christian Ponder.
Here are Thursday’s full injury reports for both teams:
Buccaneers
| Player | Injury | Practice Status | Game Status |
| Adam Hayward | Ankle | Full Participation | Probable |
| Vincent Jackson | Calf | Full Participation | Probable |
| Brandon McDonald | Ankle | Limited Participation | Questionable |
| Carl Nicks | Foot | Full Participation | Probable |
| Jeremy Zuttah | Quadriceps | Full Participation | Probable |
Vikings
| Jared Allen | Groin | Full Participation | Probable |
| Matt Asiata | Knee | Full Participation | Probable |
| Jasper Brinkly | Not Injury Related | Did Not Participate | Probable |
| John Carlson | Concussion | Did Not Participate | Out |
| Robert Blanton | Hamstring | Full Participation | Probable |
| Fred Evans | Knee | Full Participation | Probable |
| Matt Kalil | Low Back | Full Participation | Probable |
| Marvin Mitchell | Calf | Full Participation | Probable |
| Adrian Peterson | Ankle | Full Participation | Probable |
| Christian Ponder | Knee | Full Participation | Probable |
| Mistral Raymond | Ankle | Limited Participation | Out |
| Jerome Simpson | Low Back/Foot | Full Participation | Probable |
| Harrison Smith | Calf | Full Participation | Probable |
| Antoine Winfield | Knee | Full Participation | Probable |