Fantasy Football Player Notes

I'm not certain how many people know Smith saw just one fewer target than his teammate Kyle Rudolph in 2019, but that was the case. The difference was their touchdowns, as Rudolph scored six times compared to Smith's two touchdowns. Will that change in 2020? Well, it wasn't due to lack of opportunity, as Smith saw 10 targets in the red zone compared to Rudolph's 11 targets. Touchdowns are a very fickle thing and they can flip-flop this year. Smith is the one ascending up, while Rudolph is moving towards the end of his tenure.

Rudolph scored six touchdowns last season, but overall, it was a disappointing effort from the veteran. He essentially split targets with Irv Smith Jr. (seeing just 48, his lowest since 2014), and had just 39 catches for 367 yards, both well below his usual numbers. Even without Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings are surely going to be a run-first offense once again, which will leave Rudolph searching for targets for the second straight season, well outside of TE1 consideration.