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.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer suggested at TE Tyler Conklin might be a bigger beneficiary of TE Kyle Rudolph's departure than TE Irv Smith. “I think it’s a bigger role for Tyler Conklin,” Zimmer said. “He’s kind of emerged as a guy that’s moving upward and with those two guys, we have a lot of weapons there. Irv always has been able to do what he’s been able to do whether Kyle was here or not." Conklin actually out-targeted Smith 21 to 20 over the final 4 games of last season with Rudolph sidelined. Smith just edged Conklin 118 to 106 in pass routes during that stretch. Smith remains the better 2021 fantasy bet -- but his role sans Rudolph might not grow as much as many are expecting. Conklin, meanwhile, is an intriguing end-of-draft flier in deep best-ball leagues, especially in the FFPC.
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.
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