Irv Smith Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

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.