MINNEAPOLIS -- Wide receiver Percy Harvin and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe are among the Minnesota Vikings who will be held out of Saturday's preseason game at Seattle.
Harvin hasn't practiced much this week because of a rib injury, and Shiancoe is still working through a pulled hamstring that kept him out of the preseason opener.
"I think we'll do that with both of them and just give them a chance to get a few more days of rest and then get ready to go next week," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said on Thursday.
Right guard Anthony Herrera and cornerback Asher Allen also will miss the game. Herrera practiced for the first time this week in his bid to return from a torn knee ligament. Allen has a toe injury.
Wide receiver Greg Camarillo won't play because of a groin injury, which opens up playing time among a crowded group fighting for jobs.
Harvin, Michael Jenkins and Bernard Berrian are the top three receivers on the depth chart and the only locks to make the team. After that, a cluster could be competing for two roster spots.
That list includes Camarillo; Devin Aromashodu, who was signed away from the Chicago Bears in the offseason; Jaymar Johnson, whose return skills could give him an edge; Juaquin Iglesias and CFL transplant Manny Arcenaux.
Frazier said "nobody has really nailed down those spots yet," which is a big reason why the Vikings are choosing to keep out Harvin and Camarillo.
"If this were a regular-season game, things may be different," Frazier said. "But we really need to evaluate that position and when we talked about it, we said, 'You know what, we know Camarillo, we know Percy. We want to get to know these other guys much better so we can make the right decision."'
Fullback Matt Asiata will miss the game with a strained hip flexor. Linebacker Heath Farwell also is out because of a hamstring injury.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
