Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (foot) is listed as doubtful for this weekend's game against the Bucs. HC Mike Zimmer refused to rule him out on Friday, but Rudolph is obviously a long shot. TE Irv Smith (back) is listed as questionable for Week 14. Rudolph's absence would free up opportunity for Smith, but he'd be a risky fantasy play at less than 100%.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (foot) remained sidelined on Thursday, but TE Irv Smith (back) returned to a limited practice. Smith now seems to have a better shot to play against the Bucs this weekend than Rudolph. We'll update both guys' statuses tomorrow.

Vikings TEs Irv Smith (back) and Kyle Rudolph (foot) were sidelined on Wednesday. Smith has missed the past 2 games with his back injury and seems unlikely to play against the Bucs this weekend. Rudolph's status is uncertain with this foot issue. We'll see if he's able to get back on the field tomorrow.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (back) is out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. That keeps Kyle Rudolph safely inside TE1 territory in our Week 13 rankings. He's seen 5 and 8 targets in 2 games without Smith this season, scoring double-digit PPR points in both. He gets Jacksonville's 18th-ranked TE defense this weekend.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (back) did not practice on Wednesday. The groin issue is off the injury report, but the back has Smith looking iffy for this weekend's game against the Jaguars. His absence would make Kyle Rudolph a nice TE1 play again.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) has been downgraded to out for today’s game against the Panthers. That turns TE Kyle Rudolph into a nice Week 12 spot starter.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Assuming he ends up inactive, TE Kyle Rudolph will be a viable Week 12 play. When Smith missed Week 10 vs. the Bears, Rudolph ran a pass route on 79% of QB Kirk Cousins’ drop backs and posted a 4-63 line on 5 targets.

After being limited on Wednesday, Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) did not practice on Thursday. We'll see if he suffered a setback or just got the day off. We should have a better idea of his status tomorrow. Kyle Rudolph would turn into a viable spot starter vs. Carolina if Smith is out.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) is active for today’s game against the Cowboys. He was limited in practice all week and might still not be at 100% in this one.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) is expected to play against the Cowboys today. He was limited in practice all week after missing Monday night's win over the Bears. Between the groin and Kyle Rudolph's continued presence, Smith is just a TE2 for Week 11.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys after a limited week of practice. That’s a 4:25 pm ET kickoff, so we’ll look for an update on Smith on Sunday morning. His absence would turn TE Kyle Rudolph into a viable Week 11 streamer.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) was limited in Wednesday's practice. His availability for this weekend's game vs. the Cowboys remains uncertain after he missed Monday night's win over the Bears.

The Vikings have ruled TE Irv Smith out for Monday night's game against the Bears with a groin injury. That clears the way for Kyle Rudolph to start against a defense that has been tough on every position but TE. Rudolph can be a solid TE2-level option for needy fantasy lineups.

Vikings TE Irv Smith (groin) missed practice on Thursday and Friday. OC Gary Kubiak said Friday that Smith is “trending in the right direction” for Monday night’s game vs. the Bears. We’ll see if he’s able to practice on Saturday and how he’s listed on the final injury report.

The Lions have ruled S Tracy Walker out for Sunday's game against the Vikings. Walker missed every day of practice this week, but it's still a surprising situation after Walker played every snap in the Week 8 loss to the Colts. Walker's absence improves the matchup for Vikings TE Irv Smith. S Will Harris figures to step in for Walker.

The forecast for today's Vikings-Packers game calls for 25 mph sustained winds with gusts close to 40 mph. The wind is expected to die down a bit throughout the game. Temperatures will be in the 30s with a wind chill in the 20s. Those are tough conditions for the passing and kicking games. We've lowered our passing projections a bit for both teams and would avoid both kickers in this game.

The Falcons have been cleared to re-open their facility after no positive COVID results from Thursday's round of testing, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. The Atlanta-Minnesota game remains on for Sunday as of now. We'll let you know if that changes.

The Falcons are shutting down their facility after getting back 4 positive COVID tests on Thursday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Atlanta's game against the Vikings this weekend is now in question. Stay tuned.

Update: A source tells Schefter that the Falcons had just 1 positive test, and it wasn't a player. That has us a bit more optimistic that this game will happen this week.

Vikings TE Irv Smith told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he wants to make a "big jump" in his 2nd season. And HC Mike Zimmer just might be ready for it. “Irv has done a really nice job,” Zimmer said. “He has a skill set that we need to be able to utilize with the offense." Minnesota trailed only Philadelphia last season in the rate of 2-TE formations. The Vikings certainly look like a strong candidate again, after trading away Stefon Diggs and replacing him with rookie Justin Jefferson. That would mean Smith doesn't even need to steal playing time from veteran Kyle Rudolph to present target upside. At just TE23 in August ADP, Smith is a no-risk fantasy proposition who could crack the top 15 by season's end.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) has been downgraded to out for Monday night's game against the Seahawks. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 14. Thielen's absence means TEs Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith should continue to play big roles in Minnesota's passing game.