The 6-0 Minnesota Vikings visit the 4-2 Lions Sunday, and their week started with two starters missing practice. Running back Aaron Jones Sr. and left guard Joe Huber both sat out Wednesday with knee injuries.

Thursday brought better news ahead of the trip to Detroit. Both players returned to the practice fields at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, as first reported by Kevin Seifert (ESPN) and later reflected on the Thursday injury report.

The Lions got good news on the injury front today, too. Both Jahmyr Gibbs (shoulder) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) were full participants for Detroit, after sitting out Wednesday.

Aaron Jones back on the practice field

Jones has played through a sprained MCL in his left knee since Week 2. He aggravated it in Sunday’s 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Kevin O’Connell called him day to day on Monday. Jones then sat out Wednesday.

Even banged up, the 10th-year back has been a workhorse early in the season 105 carries for 436 yards (4.2 per carry) and two touchdowns, plus 13 catches for 72 yards. Jordan Mason has 30 carries for 127 yards, in just two games played.

Jones ran 23 times for 105 yards at Chicago in Week 2, the game where he sprained the MCL. He also had 25 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown at New Orleans on Oct. 11. His 72 carries through four games were the most to open any season of his career. Against the Colts, he managed just eight carries for 26 yards.

Meanwhile, Mason came off injured reserve Oct. 24 and led the team with 15 carries for 68 yards against Indianapolis. Still, O’Connell said Monday he doesn’t “necessarily see it as a depth issue at all,” per ESPN. As a team, Minnesota averages 119.3 rushing yards per game at 4.0 yards per carry.

Joe Huber back at left guard

Huber is an undrafted second-year lineman out of Wisconsin. He has started at left guard since Donovan Jackson went on injured reserve with a torn meniscus earlier this month. O’Connell said Wednesday that Huber “really just had some knee soreness kind of pop up post-game.” He added that he was “not overly concerned about it.”

That was good news for a Minnesota Vikings offensive line that needs him. Against the Colts, Huber earned a team-high 82.8 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. That was well above his season pass-blocking grade of 56.9. He also made his first start Oct. 11 at New Orleans.

When Huber was out Wednesday, Trevor Keegan and rookie Caleb Tiernan took the left guard reps. Tiernan was drafted as a tackle but has started working inside.