Vikings 2016 first-round pick Laquon Treadwell was hoping to play in Minnesota's preseason finale and got his wish.

Treadwell recorded one catch for the Vikings against the Dolphins and totaled four catches for 45 yards in two games after missing the first two exhibition contests.

Prior to a training camp injury that sidelined him for games at Buffalo and Seattle, Treadwell spent a considerable amount of time with the first team in its three receiver set, joining Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

Mackensie Alexander, the Vikings second round pick a year ago, has been the primary candidate in the slot as the Vikings. Alexander also played against the Dolphins on a night when most starters rested.

Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune **covered the nights of Treadwell and Alexander**:

*Receiver Laquon Treadwell, held out of the first two exhibitions because of a hamstring injury, wanted to play against the Dolphins and got his wish. The former first-round pick caught one pass for 9 yards from third-string quarterback Anthony Harris before he took a seat in the first half. *

*The night could've gone better for cornerback Mackensie Alexander, last year's second-round pick, who was the only expected defensive starter to play against the Dolphins. Alexander had one tackle and deflected a Brandon Doughty pass on a blitz. *

Krammer noted Alexander was flagged for taunting after forcing an incomplete pass, and the Dolphins scored a touchdown on the following play.

*Coach Mike Zimmer pulled Alexander aside once the second-year cornerback returned to the sideline just before halftime. *

"I don't think it was very good," Zimmer told media after the game. "We had a little discussion about it." 

Up and down

Tim Yotter of Viking Update listed four players **whose stock moved up and four players whose stock moved down** on Thursday.

Yotter listed Jaleel Johnson, Eric Wilson, Ryan Quigley and Cayleb Jones as players whose stock went up, and listed Heinicke, Stacy Coley, Marshall Koehn and Sam Brown as players whose stock went down.

*Jaleel Johnson already had a spot on the roster waiting for him, but he helped his cause with a good start on Thursday night. He finished with four tackles, but two of them were for no gain. *

*Johnson dropped Kenyan Drake at the line of scrimmage on one play and generally got a push in his pass-rushing assignments. *

Johnson played only a couple series before exiting the game, but when he was back in during the fourth quarter, he dropped De'Veon Smith for another no-gainer.