Vikings TE Irv Smith posted a bizarre Week 6 line at Miami: 4 catches, 7 yards and 1 TD. Smith scored at the goal line when he blocked and released to find plenty of open space. Overall, his 4 targets ranked 4th on the team behind Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn. There hasn't been a ceiling to chase here, but Smith does enter a Week 7 bye with 3+ catches in 4 of his past 5 matchups. He could be a top-15 option in Week 8 vs. Arizona.

After a pair of down weeks, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson racked up 10 catches for 147 yards in Sunday's win over the Saints in London. He added a 3-yard rushing score as well. Jefferson's 13 targets stood 4 ahead of Adam Thielen and 9 ahead of #3 Irv Smith. Thielen caught 8 balls for 72 yards. Smith contributed 23 yards on 3 catches. Dalvin Cook was the only other Viking with more than 1 reception.

Vikings TE Irv Smith jumped from 31% playing time in the opener to 56% in Monday night's loss at Philadelphia. He finished 2nd on the team with 8 targets -- trailing only Justin Jefferson (12) -- catching 5 balls for 36 yards and the team's lone TD. TE Johnny Mundt, meanwhile, dipped from 65% Week 1 playing time to 46% against the Eagles. We certainly wouldn't bet on 8 targets a week or even the 17.4% target share becoming Smith's norm. But he'd be in weekly lineup consideration if he can live north of 50% playing time.

Vikings TE Irv Smith played just 31% of the offensive snaps and ran a route on 45% of pass plays in Sunday's opener vs. the Packers. He finished catch-less on 2 targets. Smith wasn't listed on the Week 1 injury report, but we're assuming he was limited because he missed 3 weeks in August after thumb surgery. Smith's role figures to grow -- and he's worth keeping on fantasy rosters. But he can't be trusted in fantasy lineups until we see the route rate climb.

Vikings TE Irv Smith is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He missed about 3 weeks in August after undergoing thumb surgery but has been practicing for about 2-and-a-half weeks now. He'll be out there for Sunday's opener vs. the Packers.

Vikings TE Irv Smith practiced Monday for the 1st time since thumb surgery 3 weeks ago. That aligns with previous reports that he was on track to be ready for Week 1. Smith has remained high in TE2 territory in our fantasy football rankings.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that TE Irv Smith is "on track" for Week 1. Smith is recovering from August 2 thumb surgery. It sounds like rehab has gone well, but it's still concerning that Smith will miss most of August -- after missing the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. He'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups early in the season, although there's still top-12 upside here.

Vikings TE Irv Smith underwent thumb surgery on Tuesday, HC Kevin O'Connell said. O'Connell expects Smith to be ready for the start of the season, but we'll track his rehab. The missed practice time isn't ideal for a young player who missed all of 2021 with a knee injury and is now learning a new offense. There's no viable pass-catching TE behind Smith on Minnesota's roster.

Vikings TE Irv Smith "looked like a full participant" in last week's minicamp, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff. Smith was limited in OTAs coming off last August's meniscus tear, but it doesn't look like that injury will be an issue as we roll into training camp. Smith has some breakout potential in new HC Kevin O'Connell's offense.

New Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell is excited about TE Irv Smith's potential in his offense. "I've said this before, going back and watching some of his tape even before the injury, I know there was a lot of folks excited about him last fall before that injury happened," O'Connell said. "Some of the success he's had -- both with how we're going to use him and ultimately where he is at in his career -- he's ready to absorb all of this and be in a position to go play fast, go play with a bunch of confidence that he's going to be a major part of what we do." Smith is still working his way back from August's meniscus injury, but the Vikings reportedly expect him to be at 100% for the start of training camp. After Minnesota failed to add a significant upgrade at WR behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, there's room for Smith to carve out a significant role this season.

Vikings beat writer Sam Ekstrom writes that TE Irv Smith “looked pretty agile” during minicamp drills. Ekstrom also observed Smith running at close to full speed. Last preseason, the 23-year-old sustained a meniscus injury that cost him all of 2021. If Smith can regain pre-injury form, he’ll carry a TE1 ceiling into a contract year. HC Kevin O'Connell recently added some fuel to the hype train by calling Smith "a major part" of the offense.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said TE Irv Smith is “right on schedule” in his recovery from an August meniscus tear. Smith, who called his 2021 injury a “freak” thing, added that the goal is to be 100% by training camp. Entering a contract-year, Smith will have a shot at a major role, especially with Tyler Conklin now in New York. Our early projections have him inside TE2 territory.

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.

Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring) returned to practice on Monday, according to beat writer Chris Tomasson. Conklin missed 2 weeks with the hamstring injury. But, barring a setback, he's set to open the season as Minnesota's lead TE. We're still waiting to hear how long TE Irv Smith will be out.

Vikings HC Mike Zimmer said Monday that TE Irv Smith will have surgery this week to repair his meniscus injury. Unfortunately, he had no update on how long we should expect Smith to be out. "We'll just see where he's at," Zimmer said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "A lot of times you can't really tell anything until you get in there. We really won't know until they get in there." We'll watch for updates after the surgery.

Vikings TE Irv Smith will undergo surgery for a meniscus injury, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 3rd-year TE is expected to miss at least the Week 1 opener vs. Cincinnati, but a specific timeline isn’t yet known. Tyler Conklin, the #2 TE, has already missed time this summer with a hamstring injury. If healthy, Conklin will profile as a potential spot-starter out of the gate.

Vikings TE Tyler Conklin left practice Monday with a hamstring injury. Beat writer Ben Goessling tweeted Tuesday that it’s a “mild” issue for the 4th-year TE. Certainly not the worst-case scenario. Conklin doesn’t profile as a standalone fantasy option, but his progress (and presence) might take some shine off Irv Smith’s ultimate upside. HC Mike Zimmer talked up a bigger role for Conklin in June.

Vikings TE Irv Smith has been a frequent target of QB Kirk Cousins in camp so far, according to insider Judd Zulgad. "It’s become clear that Kirk Cousins is very comfortable throwing to Smith — more than he was throwing to Kyle Rudolph — and that could result in a big season for the tight end entering his third season," Zulgad writes. The Smith hype quieted a bit after HC Mike Zimmer talked up a bigger role for TE Tyler Conklin back in June. But Smith was always most likely to lead Vikings TEs in targets and fantasy points this season. He has top-10 upside.