Tag: irv smith jr.

Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 3

Taking a look at some start and sit decisions for fantasy football in Week 3.

With two weeks under our belts, fantasy football managers are either looking to get into the win column or stay above the majority of their leagues. As each week progresses, the start and sit decisions grow equally more important.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

You also can check out our start and sit bench list for Week 3.

Here is a look at some of the tough start and sit decisions in fantasy football for Week 3:

Studs and Duds from Vikings week 2 loss to Eagles

The Vikings had a lot of duds on Monday night

The Minnesota Vikings fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-7 in what felt like a lopsided title fight.

Once the Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the first series of the game, the Vikings couldn’t recover and it felt over from that point on.

There weren’t a lot of positives in the game but we were still able to find some studs among the large amount of duds.

Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. is being eased back

How the Vikings have handled Smith Jr. makes some sense

The Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. played in his first game since the end of the 2019 season on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

As the Vikings move forward towards the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke to the media and was asked about the usage of the tight end room. His answer shed a lot of light on the offense, especially Smith Jr.’s 19 total snaps this past Sunday.

The full quote from Phillips says a lot about how the Vikings will handle their offense moving forward.

“Some of that is based on personnel groupings. Some of it is what those personnel groupings might elicit. Maybe two tight ends with Irv in the game with Johnny Mundt, maybe that’s going to elicit a nickel grouping, or what we call ‘penny,’ like five down with still five DBs, and maybe that’s what we are looking for at times. You never know with the defense, how they’re going to react, and what they’re going to play. But some of the bigger groupings, if you’re in 22 personnel — two tight ends, two backs — you’re pretty sure you’re going to get a base defense. So you kind of expect a certain front structure. So some of that is just based on play, and some of that is based on situation.”

Phillips also said that “there is something” with the idea of easing Smith Jr. back in. Over the course of the season, expect Smith Jr. to get more snaps but most importantly, take advantage of situations.

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Vikings PFF Grades: Best and worst performers in week 1 win vs Packers

The best and worst of the PFF grades from Sunday’s game

The Minnesota Vikings dominated the Green Bay Packers by a score of 23-7 in a game that never really felt close.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell became the fifth head coach in Minnesota Vikings history to win his debut for the franchise.

When the grades came in, they looked really good but there were some disappointing performances.

Here are the best and worst of Sunday’s PFF grades.

Fantasy Football: Top streaming options in Week 1

Here’s a look at the top streaming options for fantasy football in Week 1.

The first week of football is finally here, which means fantasy football managers are right at home tinkering and researching ways to build the optimal lineup.

It’s right where we all want to be.

Though the draft season is coming to an end, and the majority of managers are set for Week 1, there are those who will be taking on the stream life when it comes to certain positions.

The stream life isn’t for everyone. It’s chaotic, hectic, and stressful. But when it hits correctly, it can have a massive impact on a manager’s lineup.

In order to qualify as a streamer, a player must be available in more than 40% of ESPN leagues at the time of writing. Each week, we will focus on the quarterback, tight end, defense/special teams, and kicker positions.

For each position, I’ll give a “stream of the week” indicating the priority streamer along with an additional two options. Don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter with any questions or thoughts on the process (shameless plug – @KevinHickey11).

After taking a look at the top options on the waiver wire for Week 1, here are the top streaming options in fantasy football:

10 waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 1

Even after your fantasy football drafts, here are 10 waiver wire targets going in Week 1.

The fantasy football season is officially here as managers will finally get to tilt, stress, and possibly even celebrate their teams for the first time during the 2022 season.

Even though the draft weekend resulted in all of us walking away with the strongest rosters in our respective leagues, it’s still wise to keep an eye on the waiver wire. Even moves need to be made in Week 1.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

Without further ado, here are 10 players on the waiver wire to target in Week 1:

Fantasy football: 5 sleeper tight ends for 2022 season

These tight ends could be sleepers in fantasy football this season.

Fantasy football managers love finding sleepers – players who are going toward the end of drafts despite having high upside for the upcoming season.

At tight end specifically, Pat Freiermuth and Cole Kmet are too well known to really be considered sleepers at this point, so this list is made up of deeper sleepers for the 2022 NFL season.

Fantasy football: 5 tight end breakout candidates for 2022

These five tight ends could outperform their average draft positions in fantasy football this season.

Tight end can be a tricky position in fantasy football. Unless you have one of the top five players at the position, TEs can be somewhat interchangeable on a week-to-week basis, with TE6-10 often dictated by fluky touchdowns.

With that said, picking up a hot tight end off the waiver wire could add a spark to your team during the season, especially when bye weeks and injuries start to hit. Or, if you choose to prioritize other positions in the draft, the top candidates on this breakout lists could even serve as a TE1 in 2022.

Here’s a look at five tight end breakout candidates who have potential to outperform their average draft positions this season.

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Irv Smith Jr. is Likely to Play Week One vs Green Bay

O’Connell delivers great news about the Vikings star TE

The Minnesota Vikings got some good news on Thursday morning.

Irv Smith Jr. hurt his thumb at the beginning of training camp and had surgery to fix the issue. After tearing his meniscus last preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs, the thumb injury felt like another unfair blow to the former Alabama star set to break out.

Before joint practices began against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about Smith Jr. and his status moving forward.

“Yes he is (on track for week one),” said O’Connell. “Everything with Irv has been really positive. You guys will see him during these practices.”

This is tremendous news for the Vikings, as Smith Jr. is primed to really succeed in this offense.

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10 starters land on inactives list for Vikings vs Raiders preseason opener

Vikings rule 10 starters out for the preseason opener.

Sunday’s preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders marks the beginning of a new era for the Minnesota Vikings. But if fans are coming into this game thinking they’re going to get a sneak peak of what’s underneath the hood, they’ll be sadly disappointed.

With less than two hours to go before kickoff, the Vikings released their list of inactives for the game.

The list featured 10 prominent starters, including Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Patrick Peterson, Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Smith, Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins was officially ruled out on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, and tight end Irv Smith Jr. is still recovering from thumb surgery after suffering an injury during training camp.

The preseason opener will feature more of the backup quarterback battle between Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion. There should also be plenty of opportunities for the rookie defensive backs, Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr., to get in on some action as well.

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