Cook (shoulder) is optimistic he'll play this weekend after sitting out the last two games. "I've been putting the time in and I feel good" he said Tuesday, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.
The 24-year-old went through warmup drills prior to a Week 17 loss to the Bears, so it's not a major surprise he's still upbeat a couple days later. The Vikings will release their first injury report of the week Wednesday, which should clarify Cook's status, but for now the star running back appears on track to retake the field Sunday at New Orleans.