It’s fantasy football season, baby!
If you’re trying to draft a top-tier tight end in your fantasy league, it’s probably best to stay away from either Kyle Rudolph or Irv Smith Jr. of the Vikings.
Dwain McFarland over at Pro Football Focus put together his tight end tiers ahead of the fantasy football season. Smith ranks in the ‘Tier 8 – TE2’ tier along with Jace Sternberger, Chris Herndon, Ian Thomas, Blake Jarwin and Eric Ebron.
Not exactly guys who are going in the first few rounds of your draft.
Meanwhile, Rudolph ranks in the tier below Smith along with Greg Olsen and Tyler Eifert.
We’ve speculated more than a few times on this site that 2020 will be the season when we’ll see far less of Rudolph in the passing game, giving Smith a bigger opportunity. Smith was the team’s second-round pick in 2019 for a reason.
Rudolph is probably a streaming option, while Smith could be a good option as a backup or a high-upside third tight end if your roster allows it.
You can check out McFarland’s full tier rankings here.
