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.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game against the Broncos. We're tentatively expecting him back after Minnesota's Week 12 bye. Olabisi Johnson will continue to serve as the Vikings' #2 WR but is a weak fantasy play. Thielen's absence keeps TEs Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith on the spot-start radar. They've averaged 4.8 and 5.3 targets, respectively, over the past 4 weeks.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. With a Week 12 bye coming, it'd make sense for Minnesota to hold Thielen out of this weekend's game against the Broncos. His absence would keep TEs Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith on the spot-start radar.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) is out for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys. Olabisi Johnson will slide in as Minnesota's #2 WR, but the real fantasy winners here are TEs Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith. They've seen 14 and 15 targets, respectively, over the past 3 weeks. Both guys are in play as Week 10 spot starters.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) missed practice again on Thursday. He's not going to play against the Cowboys on Sunday night, leaving extra targets for WRs Stefon Diggs and Olabisi Johnson and TEs Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the strained hamstring for Vikings WR Adam Thielen is "no worse" after he played briefly in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Pelissero tweeted that Thielen "could feel it pulling and need (sic) to calm it down." Pelissero also pointed out that Minnesota "errs on the conservative side" and gets a bye on the other side of the Week 11 home date with Denver. If you have Thielen, make sure you secure a contingency plan through Week 11. It seems like he should be OK on the other side of the Week 12 bye, at least. We'll certainly keep an eye on the situation. Missing Thielen this weekend would help the target outlooks for not only WR Olabisi Johnson, but also Minnesota's TEs.

The Vikings nabbed Alabama TE Irv Smith with the 50th pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. After totaling just 14 catches across his first 2 years on campus, Smith broke out for a 44-710-7 line this past season. All 3 marks ranked among the top 4 on a stacked Alabama squad. Smith averaged a big 16.1 yards per catch and led this TE class in yards per route run. He disappointed with a 22nd percentile SPARQ score at the Combine but plays with good speed and fluidity. Turning just 21 in August, Smith still has lots of room for growth. He’ll start his NFL career behind Kyle Rudolph, but Rudolph’s contract is up after this season. Smith should take over as Minnesota’s top pass-catching TE in 2020.