Tag: irv smith jr.

Highest graded Vikings on offense from the 2020 season

Here are the highest graded Minnesota Vikings players on offense in 2020. Qualifying players must have at least 100 NFL snaps.

Heading into the year, the Vikings had some promise.

The team was coming off a playoff berth and a victory over the Saints in the postseason. Minnesota had departures in free agency, but some of those players struggled for the team in 2019.

There was an argument to be made that the Vikings got slightly better. That was not the case, of course.

With a younger roster and worse injury luck, Minnesota finished 7-9, missing out on the postseason.

The Vikings had plenty of disappointments this year, but there are still reasons for optimism. Several first-year players stood out, for instance.

Here is a look at the highest graded Vikings with at least 100 snaps from the 2020 season on offense, as compiled by Pro Football Focus. It wasn’t a year to remember for Vikings fans, but these players have potential.

Will Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph be back with the team in 2021?

It’s the annual ‘will Kyle Rudolph be back?’ question for the Minnesota Vikings.

It seems like we ask this question year after year.

And here we are again.

Will Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph be back with the team in 2021?

Here’s what we know:

Rudolph is 31 years old and has missed three games this season due to a foot injury. Even when he was healthy, Rudolph averaged just 27 receiving yards per game.

We also know that he has a cap hit of $9.45 million next season, but the Vikings can save more than $5 million if they decide to release him.

Maybe rather than releasing him, a more likely scenario is the team restructuring his deal (again) for a one-year deal.

Perhaps the biggest reason, however, why Rudolph is expendable is the emergence of second-year tight end Irv Smith Jr. Smith has five touchdowns in his last five games. Smith is the modern receiving tight end that Rudolph no longer is.

It’s a storyline to keep an eye on this offseason.

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints: Everything we know

See the recap of the Minnesota Vikings loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Even the most optimistic of Vikings fans must have known that it was a long shot.

To still make the playoffs, Minnesota not only had to win out, but the Cardinals would have to lose out and the Bears would have to split their last two games.

So there was hope — but not a lot — heading into the matchup against the Saints on Christmas day. New Orleans made sure to dash those hopes in the second half.

Running back Alvin Kamara ran through the depleted Vikings defense and Minnesota’s offense couldn’t keep up. The Vikings’ loss eliminated them from  playoff contention and made for another disappointment in a very coal-filled 2020 season.

6 waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 15

Waiver wire targets in Week 15.

The final weeks of the fantasy football season are full of playoff stress, and setting your lineup with the best players is vital to your team’s success.

It can be tough to switch out players in your starting lineup for those on the waiver wire, but sometimes a move is necessary. Here are six waiver-wire targets for Week 15 of fantasy football:

Stock up, stock down from the Vikings’ Week 14 loss to the Buccaneers

See the stock up, stock down from the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Vikings needed a lot to go their way against the Buccaneers.

That did not happen. The team had missed field goals, costly penalties, poor offensive and defensive line play and other simple mistakes that cost Minnesota the Week 14 game.

If the Vikings want Week 15 to go differently, the team will have to bounce back in several different areas. Sure, Minnesota is playing Chicago this week, but the Bears still have a good defense and still have something to lose.

The Vikings need to assess what happened in the Buccaneers game. Here is the stock up, stock down report:

Highest graded Vikings from the game against the Buccaneers

Here are the highest graded Minnesota Vikings players from the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14.

The Vikings came into their Week 14 game as being underdogs on the road against the Buccaneers.

That made sense. Tampa Bay had the better record, the better defense and quarterback Tom Brady is still capable of making opposing teams look bad.

Minnesota had its share of standouts, even playing well on offense and defense at times. If it wasn’t for penalties and special teams miscues, it would have been an extremely close game.

But instead, Tampa Bay cruised to a relatively easy win in Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season.

Here are the highest graded qualifying Vikings players on offense, then defense, according to PFF.

Fantasy football waiver wire targets for Week 15: Unheralded stars shine in rankings

We take a look at’ players you should grab in the stretch run.

Can you believe we are nearing the end of the fantasy season? It’s crazy to think that after four months of action, your entire season could come down to the last couple of weeks.

In what has been an unorthodox fantasy season, usual names have performed at a high level. Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen unheralded names shine the brightest. Those names could make the difference between winning and losing. As championships are to be decided, those names could end up having a major impact.

We take a look at five players that you should scoop up if you want to make a chase for fantasy football bragging rights.

Tunnel Vision of Week 14

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Aaron Rodgers 290-13 4
 Tua Tagovailoa 316-24 3
 Derek Carr 316-12 3
 Mitchell Trubisky 267-23 3
 Patrick Mahomes 393-9 2
Running Backs Rush
Receive		 TD
Derrick Henry 26-215
2-7		 2
Jonathan Taylor 20-150
2-15		 2
Miles Sanders 14-115
4-21		 2
Mike Davis 11-51
5-42		 2
David Montgomery 11-113
3-42		 1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Allen Robinson 9-123 1
Calvin Ridley 8-124 1
Tyreek Hill 1-32
3-79		 2
Stefon Diggs 10-130 1
Davante Adams 7-115 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Travis Kelce 8-136 1
Mike Gesicki 5-65 2
T.J. Hockenson 6-43 1
Irv Smith 4-63 1
Robert Tonyan 5-36 1
Placekickers XP FG
Rodrigo Blankenship 5 3
Greg Zuerlein 3 3
Dustin Hopkins 2 2
Jason Meyers 4 2
Cairo Santos 4 2
Defense Sack-TO TD
Rams 6-1 1
Football Team 4-3 2
Cardinals 8-3 0
Cowboys 2-3 1
Bears 7-2 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Daniel Jones – Benched
QB Matthew Stafford – Ribs
QB Alex Smith – Calf
QB Brandon Allen – Knee
TE Noah Fant – Illness
TE Mike Gesicki – Shoulder
WR Devante Parker – Leg
WR Jakeem Grant – Leg
WR Deebo Samuel – Hamstring
WR Mike Williams – Back

Chasing Ambulances

It just feels like I missed someone when I could not locate any injured running backs.

QB Daniel Jones (NYG)– While technically he was benched after a dismal showing against the Cardinals, Jones was rushed back too early from his hamstring injury in the belief he gave the Giants their best chance to win. That may have still been true, given the lack of success of Colt McCoy. The Giants host the Browns this week and cannot afford any more losses. A home game usually helps, but neither Jones nor McCoy are relevant in fantasy for now.

QB Matt Stafford (DET)– Stafford was crushed in an awkward position when he ran the ball against the Packers and injured his ribs. The severity should be known as early as Monday and the Lions have an enticing matchup at the Titans this week. Chase Daniels would replace him if he missed any time but that doesn’t offer much confidence that the passing game can maintain its average stats.

QB Alex Smith (WAS)– Injured his calf  but X-rays were negative and early speculation is that it is not serious. The Football Team hosts the Seahawks this week which usually benefits the passing game. Smith should return, but if he doesn’t, Dwayne Haskins just reminded everyone why he was benched.

TE Noah Fant (DEN) Left the game with a stomach bug and was replaced by Troy Fumagalli who led the team with five targets. He caught four for 53 yards and Nick Vannett ended with four catches for 20 yards and a touchdown.  Fant is expected back this week but just missed out on eight catches for 73 yards and a score that the other Denver tight ends produced.

TE Mike Gesicki (MIA)– Already scored twice on his five receptions for 65 yards in the loss to the Chiefs, Gesicki was dragged down on a tackle late in the game and landed heavily on his right shoulder. He did not move his right arm as he went to the locker room, which is not a good sign for this week versus the Patriots. Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe would just split up the workload if Gesicki remains out. After the game, Tua Tagovailoa said that he saw Gesicki and that he was “really hurting.”

WR DeVante Parker (MIA)– Left the loss to the Chiefs in the second quarter with a leg injury. He later returned to the sideline but never re-entered the game. Jakeem Grant also left the game with a leg injury. Added to the loss of Gesicki, the Fins receiving corps was largely stripped of starters. Parker is the only fantasy-relevant wideout and his status should be better known on Monday.

WR Deebo Samuel  (SF) – Only lasted for one play in the loss to the Football Team and left with a hamstring injury. HC Kyle Shanahan said that it “didn’t look good.” Samuel has already missed previous games with a hamstring issue and there is a concern that this time could end his 2020 season. Brandon Aiyuk blew up with ten catches for 119 yards in his absence and Kendrick Bourne (3-42) saw seven targets replacing Samuel. If he misses any games or the rest of the season, Aiyuk stands to benefit the most as the only remaining weapon of any note in the passing offense.

WR Mike Williams (LAC) – Left with a back injury on the opening drive and was  replaced by Tyron Johnson, who caught 6-of-7 for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons.  The Chargers play on Thursday night, so Williams won’t have much time to heal.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

WR KJ Hamler (DEN) – The rookie has had a quiet first season with only one touchdown coming into Week 14. He led the team against the Panthers with 86 yards and two touchdowns on just two catches – 37 and 49-yard scores. The 2.14 pick out of Penn State is small at only 5-8 and 178 pounds but he runs a 4.27/40 and was drafted to run deep routes just as he did this week.

RB Duke Johnson (HOU) – The beatdown by the Bears prevented Johnson from doing much as a rusher (7-38) but at least he added 53 yards on his two receptions. Buddy Howell (11-42) led the backfield only because he finished the game after the Texans surrendered. Next week is at the Colts, where the receiving ability will be relied on again.

RB David Montgomery (CHI) – What would the NFL be like without a weekly rant about the usage of Montgomery? He ran for an 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter and the Bears won 7-36 and led 7-30 at the half. And yet Montgomery was limited to 11 carries for 113 yards. Special teams gimmick Cordarrelle Patterson ran six times for 26 yards. That’s two weeks of great production from Montgomery who may never know what a workhorse is. He even added 42 yards on just three catches. What are they saving him for?

WR A.J. Green (CIN) – Faced the Cowboys very average secondary and Green  led the Bengals with six catches for 62 yards and caught the only Bengals’ touchdown. He’s doing himself a big favor since he’s due to be looking for a new employer in 2021.

QB Gardner Minshew (JAC) – Mike Glennon got the hook in the loss to the Titans and Minshew entered the game midway in the third quarter. He threw for 178 yards and a score in the final 21 minutes of the game. The Jags play in Baltimore next week, so he’s not likely to save anyone in fantasy  playoffs.

QB Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)  – He did throw 48 passes in the loss to the Chiefs, but he completed 28 for 316 yards and two touchdowns. And he did that without Preston Williams (IR) or Devante Parker (injured). He threw to 11 different receivers and made use of Lynn Bowden (7-82) and Mack Hollins (5-66). What’s he going to be like in 2021 when he has a full set of receivers?  He also ran for 24 yards and a touchdown.

TE Dan Arnold (ARI) – The Cardinals haven’t used the tight ends much as receivers for years (maybe decades). But Arnold caught a touchdown in Week 11 at Seattle.  Had just one catch in Week 12. Then he turned two receptions into touchdowns against the Rams. And on Sunday, he caught another score in the win over the Giants. He scored four touchdowns over his last four games played. All Cardinals’ wideouts combined for just one touchdown over the last four games. And Arnold has four.

TE Irv Smith (MIN) – With Kyle Rudolph out this week, Smith led the Vikings with 63 yards on four catches and one touchdown – their only passing score. The Buccaneers all but shut down the Vikings’ wide receivers somehow, but Smith stepped up and even Tyler Conklin  ended with five catches for 40 yards.

RB Leonard Fournette (TB) – He was a healthy scratch against the Vikings. Ronald Jones ran for 80 yards and one touchdown on 18 rushes and had one catch for a moderate game. Interesting was that they allowed LeSean McCoy to run four times for 32 yards and threw him a pass as well. That was McCoy’s first action since Week 6. This feels like more of a negative for Fournette than a positive for McCoy.

RB Jonathan Taylor (IND) –  The rookie saw moderate use in a committee backfield this year and fell below ten touches a few times around mid-season. He’s apparently on the same plan as Cam Akers since Taylor ran for over 90 yards in Weeks 11 and 13. And on Sunday, he ravaged the Raiders with 20 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard scoring run during the third quarter. Nyheim Hines still ran the ball seven times for 58 yards, but Taylor is reliable again after three impressive weeks.

RB Josh Jacobs (LV) – This is an issue with fantasy leaguers at the least. And maybe a few gambling types as well. Jacobs was a game-time call against the Colts with an ankle injury. He had an Instagram post that said “SORRY GUYS IM NOT PLAYING TODAY.” But he was active and did indeed play, gaining 49 yards on 13 rushes and adding three catches for 25 yards. He was apparently trolling fantasy owners.

QB Matt Ryan (ATL) – The Falcons quarterback struggled this year  and the loss of their head coach back in Week 5 further signaled the team’s dysfunction. But he failed to throw any scores in his two previous road games and at the Chargers, he had to settled for just 224 yards and one touchdown – plus three interceptions. Calvin Ridley (8-124, TD) managed to remain a top receiver but Julio Jones missed his third game of the year.  Ryan was the No. 6 fantasy quarterback last year with 4,446 yards and 27 touchdowns. His decline has been very steep.

RB Alvin Kamara (NO) – He rushed for 50 yards and a score on 11 carries in the loss to the Eagles. But highly favorable was that his ten targets led the offense and he caught seven for 44 yards. His role as a receiver had been missing since Taysom Hill took over.

QB Jalen Hurts (PHI) – The Eagles rookie was given the start over Carson Wentz and proceeded to beat the Saints (or at the least, was there while the Saints lost). He passed for 167 yards and one score to Alshon Jeffery. He threw no interceptions but lost one fumble. And he rushed for 106 yards on 18 runs. That was just 13 yards short of Lamar Jackson’s  NFL record 119 yards in the first start for a quarterback.

RB Miles Sanders (PHI) – Quite the day for the second-year running back. He had not scored since Week 5 and battled a knee injury this year. The last two weeks saw him with only eight and ten touches for minimal yardage. But against the Saints and their No. 2 ranked rushing defense, he ran for 115 yards and two scores on 14 carries and added four catches for 21 yards.

Huddle player of the week

Derrick Henry  –  He ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and added two receptions for seven yards in the win over the Jaguars. He should be the NFL MVP this year. This is the third time this season that he’s been the highest-scoring fantasy player in the NFL. With three games left to play, Henry leads the NFL with 297 carries for 1,532 yards and 14 touchdowns. That is a pace to end with 365 carries for 1,885 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Tua Tagovailoa 316-24 3 QB Matt Ryan 224-3 1
RB Tony Pollard 11-39
2-9		 1 RB Todd Gurley 6-19
2-12		 0
RB Jeffery Wilson 11-31
1-13		 1 RB Ezekiel Elliott 12-48
2-11		 0
WR KJ Hamler 2-86 2 WR DeVante Parker 0 0
WR Brandon Aiyuk 10-118 0 WR Terry McLaurin 2-24 0
WR Nelson Agholor 5-100 1 WR Adam Thielen 3-39 0
TE Irv Smith 4-63 1 TE Evan Engram 2-18 0
PK Rodrigo Blankenship   5 XP   3 FG PK Will Lutz  3 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 153 Huddle Fantasy Points = 41

Now get back to work…

Vikings injury report: Two key players out for Sunday against the Jaguars

See the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 13 injury report before the team takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

All right Vikings fans, so there is some good news and some bad news in regards to Minnesota’s injury report.

The Vikings will presumably have right guard Ezra Cleveland back, barring anything unexpected.

Also, a nice development this week: Minnesota has activated Adam Thielen off the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, and Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he thinks the wide receiver will be “ready to go.”

But there is some bad news. Minnesota will be without two key contributors for the game against Jacksonville. It’s something the team has adjusted to quite a bit this year, but it should still have some effect on Sunday.

Here is the Vikings’ Friday injury report:

Vikings Week 13 injury report: Two DNP, three limited in Thursday practice

See the Minnesota Vikings’ injury report from Thursday.

Minnesota has dealt with plenty of injuries these last couple weeks.

Both Irv Smith Jr. and Ezra Cleveland have been out. However, Brett Jones has done well as a replacement at right guard.

Smith Jr.’s replacement was Tyler Conklin, who had just one catch for five yards. Kyle Rudolph’s receiving production saw a slight uptick from previous weeks. Rudolph had 68 receiving yards, which was his highest total all season.

Other players have stepped up, sure, but it would help the team greatly to have Smith Jr. and Cleveland back. Looking at the injury report closer to the game will be a good indication of the personnel the Vikings can use against the Jaguars.

For now, here is the Thursday injury report: