Peterson 50-50 chances of playing

Outstanding Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson was upgraded to questionable Friday, increasing his chances of playing against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Peterson tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee two weeks ago against Green Bay, but coach Brad Childress said he thought the NFL’s leading rusher was progressing ahead of schedule this week in practice.

“He’s getting there,” Childress said.

One week after setting the single-game NFL record with 296 yards rushing against San Diego, Peterson was injured when Packers cornerback Al Harris went low to bring him down in the third quarter of a 34-0 loss to Green Bay.

Team doctors were adamant the injury was relatively minor in nature, and Peterson would return at some point this season.

“There’s a 50-50 chance he’ll play (this week),” Childress said. “That’s as professional of fence-riding as you can get, isn’t it?”

Peterson said he was encouraged by his week of practice, which included some rehabilitation work in the pool and limited snaps on the field.