Irv Smith Jr.

We've gone over this plenty of times throughout the year, but when both of these tight ends are active, it's going to be tough to trust them. With Thielen out, it became a bit more intriguing. When Smith was ruled out, Rudolph became a legitimate streamer. To be fair, we didn't know Cousins would throw the ball 45 times, but after watching Rudolph see eight targets, he's on everyone's radar. If there's a matchup to play borderline tight ends, it's this one against the Jaguars, as they've allowed a league-leading 2.33 PPR points per target to tight ends. You need to monitor the status of both Thielen and Smith, as both would cannibalize some of the role that we have with Rudolph. Tight ends have averaged just 6.2 targets per game against the Jaguars, which ranks as the ninth-fewest in the league, while the Vikings have targeted their tight ends just 5.7 times per game. Are you starting to see why it's going to be difficult to trust Rudolph with Smith in the lineup? If Smith misses, Rudolph would be a low-end TE1. If both play, they're both stuck in the TE2 territory as touchdown-or-bust options.

Irv Smith Jr. (back) won't practice Thursday

TE Irv Smith Jr. (back) won't participate in Thursday's practice.

Fantasy Impact

Smith will miss his second straight practice as he continues to deal with a back injury. He missed Week 12's win over the Panthers and has been sidelined two of the last three weeks due to back/groin injuries. His participation in Friday's practice will determine if Smith has any chance of suiting up on Sunday. If Smith is out again, Kyle Rudolph would handle tight end duties for the Vikings and can be considered a borderline TE1 for Week 13.