--LB Napoleon Harris is expected to take over as the starter in the middle on Sunday against Houston. Harris played most of the Vikings' game against Chicago on Oct. 19 in the middle but he did not start. Harris had been signed as a free agent that week after being let go by Kansas City.

--LB Ben Leber has been wearing the communication device in his helmet to receive the defensive calls from the bench. E.J. Henderson had been wearing that device before suffering a season-ending injury on Sept. 28 in Tennessee.

--TE Garrett Mills suffered a leg injury in the Vikings' loss at Chicago before the bye. His status should become clearer Wednesday when the team begins full preparations for Sunday's game against Houston.

--WR Sidney Rice had a week off to rest the sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Rice was injured in Week 2 and had missed three of five games. He has only three receptions this season.

--RB Chester Taylor might clearly be the Vikings' No. 2 back behind Adrian Peterson but Taylor has become a definite receiving option in the offense. Taylor's 18 receptions rank third behind Bobby Wade (30) and Bernard Berrian (28).

REPORT CARD AFTER 7 GAMES

PASSING OFFENSE: C -- There is still plenty of improvement to be made in this area but the Vikings have posed a bigger threat in the passing game since veteran Gus Frerotte replaced Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback in Week 3. Frerotte's ability to remain patient and find open receivers has been key. He has developed a nice chemistry with receiver Bernard Berrian, who was signed as a free agent during the offseason. Berrian has 28 receptions, second on the team to Bobby Wade's 30, for a team-leading 517 yards and three touchdowns. All have come in the past three games. The fact that Frerotte can establish Berrian as a consistent deep threat is good news for an offense that is looking to loosen things up for Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson. Frerotte also has shown confidence in tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who has had problems holding onto the football in the past. Shiancoe has caught 13 passes for three touchdowns with Frerotte as his quarterback. The drawback is that the 37-year-old Frerotte has little mobility and already has been sacked 13 times. This isn't all the fault of the offensive line. Frerotte also has two more interceptions than touchdown passes (7-5) and threw four picks in his last game before the bye week at Chicago.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- When is Adrian Peterson going to break a few more long runs? Why can't Peterson be more patient? Is Peterson's early-season hamstring injury still bothering him? There have been plenty of questions about the second-year star but the bottom line is that he continues to produce. Peterson is among the NFL's leading rushers this season with 684 yards on 151 carries and also has five touchdowns. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in four of seven games this season, including the past two. He had a season-long 54-yard touchdown run to account for a good portion of his yardage in a 121-yard effort in the Vikings' loss to Chicago just before the bye week. Veteran Chester Taylor continues to get opportunities on the field in third-down situations but this clearly is Peterson's job. Peterson did suffer a hamstring injury in Week 2 against the Colts, he still rushed for a season-high 160 yards in that loss, but he has not missed any time this season. The coaching staff continues to work with him on being a patient runner and staying behind his blocks instead of free-lancing at times. Nonetheless, it's hard to tell a runner as good as Peterson not to do what comes naturally.

PASS DEFENSE: C -- Ranked at the bottom of the NFL last season, the Vikings gave up an average of 264.1 yards per game through the air. They have improved that number to 219.4 through seven games this season and were ranked 19th entering their bye in Week 8. That doesn't mean all issues have been taken care of with this unit. For one, the Vikings would like to become more opportunistic and improve upon the four interceptions they have so far this season. Veteran safety Darren Sharper, who entered the season as the leading active player in the NFL with 53 picks, has none through seven games. The Vikings are hoping the return of veteran safety Madieu Williams might help. Signed as a free agent from Cincinnati during the offseason, Williams has yet to play this year because of a neck injury suffered early in training camp. Second-round rookie Tyrell Johnson has played in Williams' place and while he has done a nice job, it's clear teams have been going after Johnson and right cornerback Cedric Griffin and staying away from Sharper and left corner Antoine Winfield. The hope is that Williams' presence might change that a bit.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus -- This unit continues to be one of the Vikings' most consistent. Minnesota entered its bye week ranked third in this category, giving up an average of 70.7 yards per game. The Vikings have been No. 1 in the league against the rush the past two seasons. In 2006, the Vikings gave up only 61.6 yards per game on the ground and last season that figure was 74.1. This is in large part because of the Pro Bowl tackle tandem of Kevin (3-technique) and Pat Williams (nose). However, a report by Fox on Sunday said those two were each appealing a four-game suspension for using a banned diuretic. If that is correct and both end up being suspended, it would be a huge blow to the defense. Remember, middle linebacker E.J. Henderson already has been lost for the season because of a foot injury that landed him on injured reserve. Defensive end Jared Allen, acquired from Kansas City in the offense and then signed to a rich contract, has played well but if both Williams' are out of the lineup, it would make it that much easier to double team Allen without fearing the consequences.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D -- This unit has given up five touchdowns in seven games, an unacceptable figure. The punt coverage unit failed to do its job on three occasions, including twice against the Saints when Reggie Bush returned punts for touchdowns, and punter Chris Kluwe dropped a snap in Week 7 against Chicago that enabled the Bears to get a touchdown. The other touchdown came as a result of a muffed punt by Charles Gordon in Chicago. This unit suffered a major loss in the preseason when special-teams standout Heath Farwell was lost for the season because of a knee injury. But that is no excuse for the substandard effort given at times by the special teams. Veteran kicker Ryan Longwell has made six of six kicks from between 20 and 29 yards; four of five from between 30-39; four of six from between 40 and 49; and two of two from 50-plus. Kluwe came under fire from coach Brad Childress after the Saints game, one the Vikings won, for punting to Bush and he also dropped the ball against Chicago. He has averaged 48.1 yards on 37 punts this season.

COACHING: C-minus -- Coach Brad Childress seemed to have all the parts to work with entering the season but nonetheless his team is only 3-4 as it gets set to play host to Houston coming out of the bye. One of Childress' major faults appears to be his insistence on developing Tarvaris Jackson as his quarterback. While the Vikings were adding the likes of receiver Bernard Berrian, Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen and safety Madieu Williams (who has yet to play) during the offseason, Childress insisted that Jackson was his quarterback. But after two shaky starts in losses to open the season, veteran Gus Frerotte became the starter. Frerotte is 37 years old and certainly not the long-term answer so it will be interesting to see what Childress and the Vikings do for the long term. That's assuming there is a long-term future for the two sides. Fans chanted "Fire Childress" on more than one occasion during the Vikings last home game and it's clear many would like to see a change. If a Vikings team that entered the season with high hopes doesn't make the postseason, that change could be coming in January.