Free-agent tight end Chris Herndon is expected to sign with the New Orleans Saints, according to a source. The former New York Jet played last year with the Minnesota Vikings, catching just four of his seven targets for 40 yards and one touchdown in 16 games (five starts). The former first-rounder had his best season in his first year in the NFL with the Jets, when he hauled in 39 of his 56 targets for 502 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (12 starts). Since then, he's accumulated only 36 catches (54 targets) for 334 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons. If he indeed signs in New Orleans, the 26-year-old will join a crowded tight end room that includes Adam Trautman, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson and Nick Vannett.
The Minnesota Vikings acquired tight end Chris Herndon in a trade with the New York Jets right before the start of the season. The move came after it was announced that Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (meniscus) would miss extended time due to a torn meniscus. There was speculation that Herndon could fill in as the team's primary pass-catching tight end, but that has yet to be the case. Tyler Conklin has been the only Vikings tight end to show up in the pass game so far. He's caught 13 of his 16 targets for 126 yards and a score. Herndon, meanwhile, has just two targets and no catches through three games. He only played 16% of the snaps in Week 3 while Conklin logged 72%. There's no need to roster Herndon in any fantasy leagues at this point.
Minnesota Vikings tight end Chris Herndon will make his Vikings debut Week 1 against the Bengals. Herndon was acquired from the Jets during preseason play after Irv Smith Jr, went down with a meniscus injury. Smith Jr. will be out months, possibly the whole season, making Herndon an easy candidate to become TE1. It is unclear how caught up the 25-year-old is with the Vikings playbook but he gets a great Week 1 matchup. The Bengals allowed the seventh most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, including allowing eight different tight end's to post 50 or more receiving yards against them. Expectations need to be tempered for Herndon out of the gate but could become a top-15 option among his position by October.
Minnesota Vikings tight end Chris Herndon is listed as third on the team's tight end depth chart behind starter Tyler Conklin and backup Brandon Dillon as we inch closer to the Week 1 season opener. It's understandable for Herndon to be buried on the depth chart after he was just acquired from the New York Jets in a trade last week. Irv Smith is out for the season due to a knee injury, so the Vikings added Herndon for depth at the position. However, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that Herndon works his way into primary position as the team's top pass-catching tight end by season's end. Fantasy managers should be content to watch from afar, though, given Herndon's disappointment in his time with the Jets.
The Minnesota Vikings have traded for the Jets tight end Chris Herndon in exchange for draft compensation. With the Vikings TE1 Irv Smith Jr. on the shelf for at least a month the Vikings moved quickly to replenish their tight end depth chart. Herndon has plenty of potential but has yet to fully put it together languishing in the Jets offense the past three seasons. The 24-year-old caught 31 passes last season for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Herndon also finished last season strong, racking up 14 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns over his final three games. Getting caught Herndon up to speed with the Vikings offense may take some time but should settle in as their TE1 when ready.
New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon has been working primarily with the second unit at camp, with Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin getting time with the starting offense. Herndon has been a popular breakout candidate for a few years now, but after playing in all 16 games last year and finishing with 31 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns, that optimism has been dampened. A change at quarterback could benefit Herndon, but Zach Wilson isn't in camp yet to start building chemistry, and Herndon appears like he'll need to jump two players still to get consistent snaps. He's not worth the fantasy headache that he'll cause his managers.
New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon not only lost some first-team repetitions at minicamp to Ryan Griffin and Tyler Kroft, but the former fourth-round pick also struggled to pick up the new playbook. The 25-year-old was supposed to be the team's tight end of the future when they drafted him in 2018, but he has just 32 catches for 294 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) the last two seasons after impressing his rookie year. Herndon might get the first chance to prove himself in training camp, but he's off to a bad start this offseason. And with a rookie quarterback starting right from the get-go in Zach Wilson, none of New York's tight ends figure to be worth drafting as even your TE2 to begin the year.
New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon (hamstring) was limited at the team's minicamp practice on Wednesday due to what head coach Robert Saleh said was "a little bit of tightness" in his hamstring. However, Saleh said that Herndon is "perfectly fine." It doesn't sound like an injury that should impact Herndon's availability for training camp at the end of July. The 25-year-old had a fine rookie season in 2018 when he caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (12 starts), but he played in only one game in 2019 and caught 31 passes for only 287 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games (13 starts) in 2020. With a new coaching staff in place, Herndon could be more productive, but he'll also have a rookie quarterback under center in Zach Wilson. Don't write off Herndon just yet, but he should go undrafted in standard-sized leagues.
New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon is not having the type of year that many expected coming into the season. Most of the season has been a bust for Herndon, but he's playing better lately. He has seven receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown over his last two games. Sadly, he'll get a matchup in Week 17 against the tough New England Patriots Defense. A team that has allowed the third-fewest amount of fantasy points to tight ends this season. It doesn't seem likely that Herndon puts up a reliable game, so he'll fall into the low-end TE2 conversation.
New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon has been a big disappointment this season because he had fairly lofty expectations coming into the season. He hauled in all four of his targets for 34 yards and one touchdown in the Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns. Herndon is finally making some noise, but it's a little too late. This was a favorable matchup for him against a Browns Defense that is awful against tight ends. Herndon should fall into the low-end TE2 conversation next week against the New England Patriots.
Chris Herndon
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Saints
