Vikings' Justin Jefferson questionable to play against the Bears

The Vikings listed Justin Jefferson as questionable for the third straight week after the wide receiver was again limited in three practices before Monday's game against the Bears. If the Vikings were to put Jefferson back on the field Monday night, they'd have to do so without seeing him go through a full practice since his hamstring injury.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Jefferson went through some full-team snaps in practice this week and had "consistent work here and there." He reiterated the Vikings will make their decision based on medical opinions about whether Jefferson's hamstring is fully healed, while considering the fact they could get him an extra week of rest by keeping him out of the Bears game before their bye next week.

"It's just something where we know we've got a lot of football left ahead," O'Connell said. "We also know we've got the bye week next week. If you ask some of his teammates, they'd probably say he looks ready to roll right now. That's the tricky thing with an injury like this. He's getting great work, he's preparing himself for when he's ready to roll and we're doing the same thing as a football team."

The Vikings have until 3 p.m. on Monday to add Jefferson back to the active roster if they want to play him against the Bears. The fact they're playing on a weekday, when the NFL office is open to process roster moves, gives them an extra 24 hours to make their decision as opposed to a normal week, when they must file moves by 3 p.m. Saturday before a Sunday game.

But the team has continued to say it is prioritizing Jefferson's long-term health, monitoring his post-practice status to make sure he's not experiencing any lingering soreness in his leg.

"At the end of the day, this is not really something where there's a lot to invest time or energy to try to figure it all out," O'Connell said. "It comes down to the best receiver in football trying to determine the percentage so we can get him back out there, not just for any short-term burst but for a heck of a lot longer."

Jefferson deactivated his social media accounts Friday after responding to fans who had lashed out at him for the way his absence had affected their fantasy football teams. On Saturday, O'Connell said he'd told the receiver he understood his frustration but added that "this is out of a place of people loving to watch Justin Jefferson play football.

"I know that there's some folks that, it's fantasy football and all those things out there. It's part of the NFL world we live in now. But in the end, I think our Vikings fans are great fans, and they just want to see number 18 back out there again. The anticipation of that — look, Justin and I are right there with them, but that doesn't change the fact we're going to be smart about what's best for Justin and his long-term career here. I think we'll look back and hopefully be thankful the situation has been handled the way it has."

Cornerback Akayleb Evans, who missed last week's game against Denver with a calf injury, was a full participant in Saturday's practice but was listed as questionable for Monday night. The Vikings also listed nose tackle Khyiris Tonga as questionable with a knee issue that showed up on the injury report for the first time Saturday. "He was limited today, just with a little knee soreness," O'Connell said. "He'll be kind of a game-time decision."

Tight end T.J. Hockenson, linebacker Brian Asamoah II and quarterbacks Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall will not carry injury designations into the game after full practices on Saturday, O'Connell said.