AP

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has said that receiver Jerome Simpson won’t be placed on a “pitch count” in his debut after a three-game suspension. And the team now hopes he’ll hit a home run against the Lions.

“We’re expecting big things out of Jerome,” offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “He’s quick off the line, good body control and a lot of top-end speed.”

He also can jump. While running. Over other players. And do flips.

More importantly, Simpson brings the kind of field-stretching speed that will open up the offense, from the running lanes through which Adrian Peterson will plow to the underneath routes on which Percy Harvin and Kyle Rudolph will glide.

The arrival of Simpson, who signed as a free agent after starting his career with the Bengals, coupled with the unlikely win over the 49ers, has created something in Minnesota that hasn’t been there since the 2010 season opened with a thud: Hope.