The focus all week has been whether banged-up running backs Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey, two of the league’s best, would be cleared. The public’s instincts were correct. It moved Carolina from a slight favorite to an underdog. With Cook expected to play and McCaffrey declared out, the Vikes hold a distinct advantage. McCaffrey’s absence has invited defenses the past two weeks to harass QB Sam Darnold, and the Vikes’ 17 sacks are second-most in the league.

I'm right with Larry Hartstein on this one. Let's take a 1 or 2-point Minnesota win out of the equation with the moneyline while backing the Vikings as Carolina remains without its best offensive player in Christian McCaffrey and best defender in linebacker Shaq Thompson. How important is McCaffrey to a regressing Sam Darnold? He has been sacked eight times the past two games without McCaffrey compared to being sacked three times the first two games when McCaffrey played a majority of the snaps. Minnesota ranks second in the NFL with 17 sacks. The Vikes are quite healthy with Dalvin Cook back.

Injury reports are moving this line, with good reason. To protect against a narrow Minnesota win, I'm playing the Vikings on the money line. The Vikings have three one-score losses and are better than their record, while Carolina struggled mightily against the only elite offense it has faced (Dallas). Not only is Kirk Cousins playing well (10 TDs, 2 INTs), but Mike Zimmer's defense has shined for the last 10 quarters.

I'm mad at myself for not posting this pick earlier when Minnesota was only favored by one, but the line is moving now that Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are all off the injury report. You know who isn't off? Christian McCaffrey, and the Panthers offense has not been nearly as effective without him. I'm not exactly excited about taking Kirk Cousins as a road favorite, but life isn't always sunshine and candy.

Minnesota barely beat Detroit despite dominating the stats in the game, and with the Vikings back on a road after a three-game homestand, I don't think we can trust them against a good defense like that of the Panthers. Carolina took a step back offensively last week but could've won the game still if not for a blocked punt. The Panthers could also have Christian McCaffrey back for this game after he was able to practice last week. Right now I think it's hard to argue that the Panthers are not at least even with the Vikings in terms of power rating, and Carolina's home-field advantage is better than one point, so we're getting value on this number.