Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw expected to start against the Saints

Joshua Dobbs got some good news on the injury front two days ahead of his first start as a Viking.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who missed Dobbs' debut in Atlanta last week, will start. He had full participation in Friday's practice and was not given an injury designation heading into Sunday's game against the Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Meanwhile, tight end T.J. Hockenson (ribs) and receiver K.J. Osborn (concussion) are on schedule to play. They've been listed as questionable along with guard Chris Reed (foot), linebacker Brian Asamoah II (ankle) and receiver Justin Jefferson, who won't play as he eases back from the hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve the past four games.

Hockenson wore extra padding on his ribs in practice and says he will play despite being limited all week.

"It's part of the deal," he said Friday as he unwrapped the padding protecting his ribs.

As for Osborn, who left the Falcons game and did not return, coach Kevin O'Connell said he "has very quickly progressed through the protocol. He really just needs to go through the final phase."

Osborn had a full workload Friday, O'Connell said, and the team would "see where he's at" on Saturday.

Defensive lineman Dean Lowry (groin) has been listed as doubtful while rookie quarterback Jaren Hall remains in the concussion protocol and was listed as out for this week. He could return to practice as early as next week, O'Connell said.

As for Jefferson's progress toward a return to live action, O'Connell said the Vikings ramped up his workload Friday. "Went through some ball security [drills] and things we do," O'Connell said. "Just continuing to build. We're just trying to be smart. Don't want to give him too much too soon because of how good he feels."

Backup quarterback Nick Mullens, who's on injured reserve with a back injury, also is "progressing" toward the team opening his 21-day window to return from injured reserve, O'Connell said.

"The biggest thing with Nick is being able to handle the volume of throws, when that time comes," O'Connell said. "He picked up his workload this week. We're in a day-to-day mode to see how he recovers from a certain level of throws and movement."

Don't expect O'Connell to go overboard with called runs for his new starting quarterback. Dobbs showcased his mobility by rushing for a career-high 66 yards and a touchdown in last week's win, but O'Connell also wants to limit the number of hits on the guy who gives the Vikings the best chance of extending their four-game win streak.

"I think it would be naive to think we can just reinvent our offense to drive through with a running quarterback," O'Connell said. "I have a lot of confidence in him with the ball in his hands, clearly. He demonstrated that last week. But I think there are enough [running] plays that will present themselves."

The Vikings are plus-4 in turnover differential during their four-game winning streak, up from minus-9 during their 1-4 start. But they still have four lost fumbles the past four games, giving them a league-high 12 in nine games.

New Orleans, meanwhile, heads into Sunday's game tied for the league lead in takeaways with 18, including five in last week's win over the Bears. They have six fumble recoveries and a league-leading 12 interceptions and are tied for third in turnover differential (plus-8).

O'Connell praised the Saints' defensive talent, coaching and aggressiveness. He said they present another unusual challenge, too.

"They throw a lot of personnel groupings at you," he said. "It's not always a normal match kind of game where you can anticipate what the looks are going to be. Then when the ball gets snapped, they play incredibly hard. They go after the football, and the secondary has gotten their hands on a ton of footballs.

"And the pass rush has been really significant to the point where they've drawn a lot of holding calls. It's going to take maybe one of our best efforts of the season to have success."

Former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan, who was signed to the practice squad for a second time earlier this week, was released again on Friday.