Chris Herndon Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Saints are set to sign TE Chris Herndon, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Herndon flamed out with the Jets and then caught just 4 balls for the Vikings last year. New Orleans' TE depth start is a bit fluid with Adam Trautman and Taysom Hill at the top, but we'd still consider Herndon a long shot to earn a significant role.

Vikings TE Irv Smith had surgery Wednesday morning to repair his injured meniscus. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he has a 4-5 month recovery timeline, which almost certainly ends Smith's season. That leaves opportunity open at the position. HC Mike Zimmer talked up Tyler Conklin this summer. Conklin missed about half of August with a hamstring injury, but he has downplayed the severity and said he expects to be ready for the opener. He's our top choice among Minnesota TEs. The team also traded for Chris Herndon this week, of course. The former Jet comes with athletic upside but has disappointed since a standout rookie year. It's worth noting the Jets unloaded him for merely a move up from Round 6 to Round 4 in the 2022 draft. We'll see whether the Vikings look to add anything else over the next week and a half -- or in season if they're dissatisfied once the games begin.

The Jets have traded TE Chris Herndon to the Vikings for "draft pick compensation," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That likely means a Day 3 pick, perhaps conditional. More importantly, it means Herndon enters the mix for a team that just lost Irv Smith to meniscus surgery and has been operating for a while without Tyler Conklin (hamstring). Conklin told reporters Monday that he's "feeling really good" and that the injury was "very minor in the first place," according to the team website. He has yet to return to practice but says he'll be ready for Week 1. We should learn more about Smith's return timeline after his surgery this week. Herndon, meanwhile, became expendable with a lackluster training camp and preseason for a Jets offense with nothing else exciting at TE. If Conklin is ready for the opener, we'd still bet on him as the team's initial leader at the position. We'll see whether Herndon can rebound with a new team. He remains a dynasty stash at least. Herndon's departure from the Jets also positions Tyler Kroft as the #1 TE there.

Update: The Vikings sent a 4th-round pick to New York in exchange for Herndon and a 6th-rounder.

Jets TE Chris Herndon opened training camp with the 2nd-team offense, according to multiple reports. It was TE Tyler Kroft working with the starters. This isn't a big surprise if you were paying attention to OTAs and minicamp, when Herndon was reportedly out-played by both Kroft and TE Ryan Griffin. At this point, Herndon is only draftable at the tail end of deep best-ball drafts. We'll see if he can turn things around over the next month.

Jets TE Chris Herndon "failed to separate himself" from the rest of the team's TEs in OTAs and minicamp, according to The Athletic's Connor Hughes. In fact, Hughes says that both Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin looked better and have worked ahead of Herndon lately. We're still over 2 months away from Week 1, so the situation is far from settled. But it's not the report you were looking for if hoping for a bounce-back season from Herndon. We'll see if he can turn it around in August.

The Jets selected BYU QB Zach Wilson with the 2nd overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Wilson enjoyed a breakout 2020 with 3,692 yards, 33 TDs and 3 INTs across 12 games. He added a 73.5% completion rate while performing as one of the nation’s most accurate QBs. The low level of competition he faced wasn’t ideal, but Wilson (6’3, 212) truly stood out as a special passer. He also rebounded nicely from an injury-riddled 2019 that began with right labrum surgery in January. Now, he heads to a strong fit with the Jets and new OC Mike LaFleur, whose offense will take advantage of Wilson’s movement skills. He’s a heavy favorite to be under center come Week 1 and could provide some spot-start value this season.

Jets WR Denzel Mims is out for Sunday’s opener against the Bills. The rookie is reportedly dealing with injuries to both hamstrings and can be dropped from redraft rosters. WR Breshad Perriman (knee) isn’t listed on the final Week 1 injury report but isn’t a fantasy option in a matchup vs. CB Tre’Davious White. WR Jamison Crowder and TE Chris Herndon are the Jets’ top target bets.

Jets WR Breshad Perriman has been sidelined for over a week with what the team is calling knee swelling. It's unclear if he'll be available for Week 1, but Perriman won't be a fantasy option. The Jets are also still without rookie WR Denzel Mims (hamstring). Expect a lot of WR Jamison Crowder and TE Chris Herndon in the opener against Buffalo.

The New York Daily News' Charles McDonald believes Jets TE Chris Herndon will be "a huge piece" of the offense after watching the last few days of practice. He "very well might be their most talented offensive player" and "just might be [QB Sam] Darnold’s favorite target," McDonald writes. Herndon has drawn praise from multiple beat writers and his HC this week, reportedly dominating in training camp. There's certainly room for him to finish 2nd on this team in targets, with Jamison Crowder the only established WR.

Jets HC Adam Gase raved about TE Chris Herndon after Sunday's practice. "It’s rare to have a guy with the ability to be as effective as a pass catcher and a guy that’s explosive when he gets the ball in his hands, and still be an on-the-line tight end that can block in the run game and also pass protect," Gase said. Herndon lined up at TE, in the slot and even out wide on Sunday, according to The New York Daily News' Charles McDonald. Herndon's 2019 campaign was wiped out by injuries, but he flashed in a big way with a 39-502-4 line as a rookie. Only 9 rookie TEs have tallied more yards over the past 10 seasons -- and that list includes Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle and Mark Andrews. Herndon is a nice late-round target in fantasy drafts.

The Jets have placed TE Chris Herndon (ribs) on IR, ending his 2019 campaign. He ended up playing 18 snaps and catching 1 ball all year, missing time on suspension and with hamstring and rib injuries. Herndon will still be just 24 when the 2020 season kicks off and will again be an intriguing later-round sleeper after his 39-502-4 line as a rookie.

Jets TE Chris Herndon will be out an "extended amount of time" with a fractured rib suffered in yesterday's loss to the Giants, HC Adam Gase said. Herndon, of course, was making his 2019 debut in Week 10 after missing time due to suspension and a hamstring injury. This will go down as a lost season for him. Ryan Griffin will step back in as New York's lead TE.

Jets TE Chris Herndon (hamstring) is active for today’s game against the Giants. He’s expected to actually play today, but it’s unclear exactly how big a role he’ll have. Try not to use Herndon in Week 10 fantasy lineups.

Jets TE Chris Herndon (hamstring) is expected to make his 2019 debut against the Giants today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Herndon was "active" last week but didn't play a snap. He has the talent and opportunity to quickly emerge as a fantasy asset. But it's completely uncertain how big a role he'll play today, so we'd try not to use him in Week 10 fantasy lineups.

Jets TE Chris Herndon (hamstring) remained limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Giants. HC Adam Gase sounded more optimistic about Herndon this week than last, but we’d still try not to use him in Week 10 fantasy lineups.

Jets TE Chris Herndon (hamstring) is active for today’s game against the Dolphins. It’s a bit of a surprise after late-week pessimism about his availability for this one. There’s a good chance Herndon is at least a little limited in his 2019 debut, but there’s upside here in a plus matchup.