Irv Smith Jr. Fantasy

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (meniscus) will likely miss the entirety of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery on Wednesday morning. Based on the four-to-five month recovery timetable for an injury of this nature, the Vikings will likely opt to get him fully healthy for the start of the 2022 campaign. Smith was possibly in for a breakout season as he saw himself sit at the top of the depth chart, which would of likely put him third in line for targets behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Chris Herndon was acquired from the New York Jets in a trade on Tuesday, so he will likely be the TE1 in Minnesota. He could have enough of a role to warrant TE2 consideration for fantasy managers and could be a solid fill-in for bye weeks and injuries.

Sep. 1st • 2:39 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (knee) will undergo surgery on his meniscus injury that he suffered in this past week's preseason game. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked by the press about the timetable for Smith's recovery on Monday. He was asked if Smith would be sidelined for about four weeks or if he'd be sidelined for six-to-eight months. Zimmer told the media that he hadn't heard of the six-to-eight month timeline, suggesting that the recovery will likely be closer to the four week range, though it could certainly be longer. Smith has shown some promise over his first two NFL seasons, but his upside is limited by the run-heavy Vikings offense. Tack that onto his injury to start the year and it's hard to justify drafting or rostering him at this point.

Aug. 30th • 2:10 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (knee) is projected to miss time to begin the season. Smith recently had meniscus surgery, and it comes at a horrible time as he is expected to see an elevated role after the departure of Kyle Rudolph. The 23-year-old finished last season with only 30 catches for 365 yards but managed to offset those underwhelming numbers by recording five touchdowns. While the news is unfortunate, he is worth a stash until he can return. In the meantime, Tyler Conklin (hamstring) could see an increase in fantasy interest moving ahead, though he should only be viewed as an option in deeper formats.

Aug. 29th • 8:15 PM