ESPN football analyst Adam Schefter is burning the midnight oil tonight

as he often does the night www.thevikingsfootballauthentic.com before an NFL Sunday, and he’s confirmed a couple of things that we’ve been hearing over the course of this week.When the Vikings take the field on Sunday against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium, they will NOT have the services of wide receiver Stefon Diggs.This is not a huge surprise, as Diggs didn’t practice all week with his rib injury. The move the Vikings made to move wide receiver Chad Beebe to the active roster on Saturday provided a bit of foreshadowing to this as well.It does, however, look like running back Dalvin Cook is going to give it a go on a limited basis.Cook hasn’t played since Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. As Schefter mentions, he has had weeks where the team thought he might play, most notably in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, but wound up being deactivated after pregame workouts didn’t go the way everyone thought. We’ll see if the Vikings pull the trigger on Cook this time around.Schefter also reported that Lions’ star cornerback Darius Slay, who was added to the injury report after being limited in practice on Friday, is expected to be active and start.We’ll have more on this one as we get closer to kickoff.Seahawks at Vikings Preseason 2018: Key Information & First Half Open Thread We’re just an hour away from the third game that the Minnesota Vikings will play in this 2018 NFL preseason Minnesota Vikings T-Shirt , as they will be hosting the Seattle Seahawks at U.S. Bank Stadium. Unfortunately, yours truly will not be getting to actually watch the game until tomorrow when I can pull it up on my DVR, but I will be listening via SiriusXM and tracking everything as best I can that way.That just makes this here Open Thread that much more important, because it will be filled with comments by people that are actually watching things at U.S. Bank Stadium as they happen, so come on in and join the party! Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s contest.Time: Friday, 24 August, 7:00 PM Central timeLocation: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MinnesotaTelevision coverage: KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, and numerous other channels that you can find right here.Radio coverage: KFAN-FM 100.3 (along with other fine Vikings Radio Network affiliates), Sirius Channel 146 Minnesota Vikings Hats , XM Channel 231Line: Vikings -3.5, and seriously stop betting on preseason football, you fool.Prediction: I’ve got 99 problems, but this game ain’t one.Three keys1) No significant injuries - After the rash of injuries this team saw last week, this is more important to emphasize than ever.2) How’s Dalvin look? - Yes, it definitely sounds like running back Dalvin Cook is going to be making his preseason debut tonight. Here’s hoping we get a glimpse of what we saw out of him last season. . .then put the man in bubble wrap and put him up in a nice hotel until 9 September.3) Short time to make a big impression - This preseason game will more prominently feature the starters than the previous two did. That means that the opportunities for guys at the bottom of the depth chart won’t be as big this week, so who will take advantage of their shot? (Granted, most of the bottom of the depth chart will play a whole lot in Week 4 of the preseason, but they aren’t going to get as much time tonight.)Know the Foe: Field GullsTwitter: @DailyNorsemanFaceBook: www.facebook.com/TheDailyNorsemanTweets by DailyNorseman Enjoy the first half, and keep your eyes open for the Second Half Open Thread to pop up during halftime.