P.J. Fleck updates status of top WR Chris Autman-Bell before Minnesota's matchup vs. Ohio State

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said receiver Chris Autman-Bell is moving towards being a “game-time decision” for the Gophers’ season-opener on Thursday.

Autman-Bell suffered a leg injury earlier this month and is now questionable for Minnesota’s meeting with Ohio State. He’s expected to be the Gophers’ No. 1 receiver this season.

Fleck said on Tuesday that the final decision will be made by Autman-Bell and Minnesota’s medical team.

Update: #Gophers coach PJ Fleck said on @KFAN1003 show recorded Monday WR Chris Autman-Bell “is a little more kind of advanced in terms of a game-time decision. But I won’t make that call. Chris will make that call, along with our medical team.” Doctors have final call, he said.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) August 31, 2021

Late last week, Fleck said Autman-Bell had started to do some running and was progressing toward trying to play in the season-opener. He was described as “day-to-day.”

Autman-Bell has had a productive career with the Gophers despite often being overshadowed by Rashod Bateman. For his career, Autman-Bell has 78 catches for 1,250 yards and 6 touchdowns across 32 games.

With Bateman now in the NFL, Autman-Bell was expected to make another leap forward in production this season. It’s unclear who quarterback Tanner Morgan’s top target will be vs. the Buckeyes if Autman-Bell can’t play due to injury.

Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night.