X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

What To Expect From Irv Smith Jr. In 2021

Justin Carter breaks down what to expect in fantasy football from Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. in 2021 after the release of TE Kyle Rudolph.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings released veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph, who had been with the team since 2011. Rudolph ends his Vikings career with 453 receptions for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns.

But in 2020, Rudolph caught his fewest touchdowns as a Viking, hauling in just one in 12 games. 2020 was also the first time since 2015 that Rudolph had a snap rate under 78 percent. Meanwhile, second-year tight end Irv Smith Jr. pulled in five touchdowns.

Smith is entering his age-23 season and appears to have been handed the reins as Minnesota's No. 1 tight end going forward. Will that translate into high-end fantasy production? Is it time to get aboard the hype train for Smith, or will he just be another promising tight end who never really finds his stride in the NFL?

Editor's Note: Discover RotoBaller’s top Fantasy Football Sleepers to gain an edge in your drafts. Our free who to draft tool and expert picks spotlight undervalued players, breakout candidates, and late-round gems for all league formats.

 

What Irv Smith Jr. Can Do In Minnesota

Let's start with what Smith's ceiling is.

Smith -- who runs a 4.63 40-yard dash -- is maybe an inch or two undersized, but he makes up for that with his speed. Since 2000, his 40-time at the Combine was seventh-fastest of all 6'2'' tight ends. For comparison's sake, that puts him about a tenth-of-a-second quicker than Jordan Reed, who was a monster to defend in his prime when healthy.

Despite sharing his role with Rudolph and Tyler Conklin last year, Smith's seven deep targets ranked 13th at the position. His average target distance of 8.3 ranked 10th and he was second at the position in fantasy points per target.

On a per-play basis, Smith did about all he could with his limited snaps.

Something else worth taking note of is that the five-game sample we have over the past two seasons of Smith playing without Rudolph looks good. Per RotoViz:

Irv Smith Jr. Game Splits With Kyle Rudolph

Sure, it's five games, so we shouldn't read too much into that small sample, but Smith averaged 10.68 PPR points per game without Rudolph, seeing an uptick in all his numbers. Over the course of a full season, that would equate to 51 receptions for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Now, look, football isn't played via projections, so don't take that above paragraph as me saying "hey, Irv Smith Jr. is catching 10 touchdowns in 2021." But it's good to note that when Rudolph wasn't on the field, Smith was absorbing Rudolph's work. And Smith's role as the No. 2 tight end in Minnesota had also been cutting into Rudolph's production, as he averaged 6.98 PPR points in 21 career games with Smith versus 9.11 in his 115 other games. Smith's presence has already been felt in Minnesota, and now we're anticipating he'll be unleashed in 2021.

If you're more of a tape person than a stats person, you can also see Smith's potential ooze out on film:

You can see in these clips that Smith makes some tough catches over the middle, plus gets involved deeper down the field. You see him finish in traffic. You see him absorb contact. You see a lot of very good stuff from Smith.

See? This is from 2019, but you can see him making an athletic catch here on a well-run route. As mentioned above, Smith is about an inch shorter than the average tight end, but that doesn't mean Smith is short. It's still a mismatch when Smith is going up against a lot of defensive backs, and you can see here how that mismatch turns into production for the then-rookie.

At his best, Smith is someone who can be one of the league's most productive tight ends. If we take that projection from above that had Smith at 171 PPR points in a full season without Rudolph, he'd have been the overall TE6. That projection includes 10 touchdowns, so I think we can probably say that Smith's ceiling is around there. With Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen needing targets as well, Smith likely doesn't break into the ELITE ELITE production level at the position, but he can be good.

 

How Secure Is Smith's Role?

Of course, it's hard to talk about ceilings without also talking about floors.

We have a nice track record of things with Kirk Cousins in Minnesota that suggests tight end is third in the target order after Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson (playing the role formerly performed by Stefon Diggs.) Jefferson was just a rookie last year and should see an increase in his role in 2021 as he grows even more familiar with this offense. Add in that Dalvin Cook had 54 targets last year and you can see that there's a lot of mouths to feed in Minny.

The other factor that impacts Smith's potential production is the presence of another tight end. Tyler Conklin was targeted 26 times last season. Most of that production came late in the year. In the four games that Rudolph missed, Conklin averaged 5.25 targets per game. So while Smith was undoubtedly the No. 1 tight end with Rudolph out, Conklin ended up with a fairly sizable role.

A big part of that is because Minnesota ran a lot of 12 personnel. They had 226 snaps in that position grouping (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers), making up 22 percent of the team's total offensive snaps. They also ran 22 personnel (two backs, two tight ends, one receiver) on nine percent of their snaps. That reliance on double-TE sets meant that when Rudolph was out, Smith was still sharing the field with someone for a good chunk of his snaps.

I think a pretty clear possibility exists that Smith will continue to share the field with another tight end, who'll siphon off short-yardage work, which will keep Smith from reaching his full potential in 2021.

 

Fantasy Outlook

So, how should we be viewing Smith in fantasy this offseason?

He definitely has a TE1 ceiling and while there are reasons for concern about his floor just because of the sheer number of people who'll also get targets in Minnesota and the fact that Minnesota was 25th in passing plays per game last year, I think we should be cautiously high on him for 2021.

I'd rank Smith as a low-end TE1 with upside right now. His 2020 production says to me that Smith should at least break out of that TE2 quagmire, though I just don't think the opportunities are available to get him up to the top-five at the position unless he has an outlier season in terms of touchdowns.

As for what to do with Smith right now, I think this is a bad time to try trading for him because his value just spiked. Don't make a bad trade just because you're desperate at tight end. And for managers who have Smith, definitely explore the market, but do so with the knowledge that sometimes holding onto a young tight end who should give you TE1 production for multiple seasons is better than trading him away, even if you sell high on him.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yanquiel Fernández

Yanquiel Fernandez Called Up to Majors
Tyler Mahle

Dealing With Rotator-Cuff Strain
Brooklyn Nets

Ziaire Williams Expected to Return to Nets
Austin Wells

to Miss Next Two Games
Tre Mann

Set to Become an Unrestricted Free Agent
Bo Bichette

Scratched With Sore Knee
Cody Martin

to Enter Free Agency
Los Angeles Clippers

Nicolas Batum Staying with Clippers
Jurickson Profar

to Return on Wednesday
Jordan Clarkson

Jazz Finalize Contract Buyout for Jordan Clarkson
Aldrich Potgieter

Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic
Thorbjorn Olesen

Finishes Tied for 41st at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Denny McCarthy

Finishes Tied For 12th at Travelers Championship
Chris Kirk

Finishes Tied For Second at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Michael Kim

Finishes Tied for 26th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa

Misses Cut at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lucas Glover

Finishes Tied For Ninth at Travelers Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied For Sixth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Staying with Nets
Colby Thomas

Called Up From Triple-A
Shea Langeliers

A's Reinstate Shea Langeliers From Injured List
Pittsburgh Steelers

Rumors Still Swirling Around Potential T.J. Watt Trade
Jalen Williams

will Undergo Surgery on Right Wrist
Bryce Harper

Activated and Starting on Monday
Deandre Ayton

Finalizing Contract Buyout with Portland
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Lands on Injured List With Fractured Ribs
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Tyler Boyd

Interested in Playing for Steelers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Now Looking to Acquire a Tight End
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
L'Jarius Sneed

Says he's Healthy
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Kerry Carpenter

Leaves Game with Apparent Hamstring Injury
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Heads to Free Agency
Santi Aldama

Receives Qualifying Offer
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner has Team Option Declined
Jabari Smith Jr.

Signs Massive Extension
Jusuf Nurkić

Hornets Trading Jusuf Nurkic to Utah
Collin Sexton

Heading to Charlotte
Cam Thomas

Set for Restricted Free Agency
Milwaukee Bucks

Bobby Portis Staying in Milwaukee
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Los Angeles Clippers

James Harden, Clippers Agree on a New Contract
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Joel Hofer

Commits to Blues for Two More Years
Kevin Bahl

Signs Long-Term Extension with Flames
Oneil Cruz

Smacks Two Homers
Jordan Spence

Traded to Ottawa
Petr Mrazek

Heads to Anaheim
John Gibson

Red Wings Acquire John Gibson
Matthew Knies

Inks Six-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Aaron Judge

Blasts Two Homers, Dealing With Back Issue
Claude Giroux

Signs One-Year Deal with Senators
Yordan Alvarez

has Chance to Return Next Weekend
Minnesota Timberwolves

Julius Randle Signs Three-Year Extension
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Opts into Player Option
Luis Robert Jr.

Heads to Injured List
Gabriel Arias

Carted Off on Sunday
Bryce Harper

Faces Live Pitching
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Remains Out on Sunday
Utah Jazz

Bojan Bogdanovic Retiring From Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers

Dorian Finney-Smith Declines Player Option
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Damon Arnette

Getting Second Chance With Texans
Deommodore Lenoir

Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
Yordan Alvarez

Eyeing Return Before All-Star Break
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Quinn Priester

Fans 11 in One-Hit Gem
Spencer Schwellenbach

Dominant in Victory
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Make Second-Year Jump
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Out of Lineup Saturday
Jalin Hyatt

Looking to Flip the Script in 2025
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Ty Dillon

Could Benefit from Kaulig Speed
Dylan Sampson

Being Used as a Receiver
Carson Schwesinger

Figures to be in Full-Time Role in 2025
Cedric Tillman

Should Have Full-Time Role
Bryce Young

Looking More Comfortable, Showing More Intensity
Charlie Coyle

Blue Jackets Acquire Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood From Colorado
Jack Quinn

Signs Up for Two More Years with Sabres
Brandon Saad

Stays in Vegas on One-Year Deal
Trent Frederic

Inks Eight-Year Extension
Emil Heineman

Shipped to the Islanders
Noah Dobson

Traded to Montreal
John Tavares

Agrees to Four-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Sam Bennett

Signs Eight-Year Extension with Panthers
NYI

Islanders Select Matthew Schaefer With No. 1 Pick in NHL Draft
Aaron Rodgers

Roman Wilson Could Fit Nicely With Aaron Rodgers
Josh Simmons

on Schedule to Open the Year as a Starter
Micah Parsons

Contract Length an Issue for Cowboys, Micah Parsons
Denver Broncos

Broncos Unsure How Their Running Back Room Will Look
Russell Wilson

Not the Only Leader in Giants Clubhouse
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
Daniil Tarasov

Panthers Bring in Daniil Tarasov
Frederick Gaudreau

Kraken Pick Up Frederick Gaudreau From Wild
Michael Thorbjornsen

Returns in Detroit at Rocket Classic
Adam Hadwin

Could Struggle Over the Weekend in Detroit
Cam Davis

Hopes Detroit Magic Can Spark Turnaround
Matt Wallace

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Rocket Classic
Joel Dahmen

Not Cutting it Lately
Michael Kim

Searching for Spark at Rocket Classic
Rasmus Hojgaard

a High-Ceiling Play in Rocket Classic
Matt McCarty

a Wild Card Heading into Detroit
Emiliano Grillo

Rolling into the Summer Season
Rickie Fowler

Looking for More Magic at Rocket Classic
Wyndham Clark

Brings High Upside to Detroit Golf Club
Max Greyserman

Could Make Noise at Rocket Classic
Akshay Bhatia

a Strong Value Play at Rocket Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF