Week 3 at Carolina
Kyle Rudolph finished with three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown on eight targets last week. His numbers have been decent through two games, and he's involved in the offense, which makes him fantasy relevant.
He gets a tough matchup against the Panthers in Week 3, and he should be viewed as a TE2 play. He'll continue to have a role, but until we see bigger numbers, it's hard to rank him much higher than what he is now.
Week 2 vs. Green Bay
Kyle Rudolph had a surprising 4-for-65 performance on eight targets in Week 1. Rudolph has mostly been a letdown in his NFL career, but that was a solid outing from the Vikings tight end.
Rudolph will get (likely) get a new quarterback this week, so there's no guarantee he gets the same amount of targets. We're expecting he won't, and therefore he's a very low-end TE2 play.
Kyle Rudolph - Week 1 vs. Titans
Kyle Rudolph gets a lot of attention because he was an early second round draft pick several years ago, but he has done pretty much nothing in his five seasons as a professional. He's only surpassed 50 receptions once, and has yet to have 500 receiving yards in a season.
Rudolph was okay to use in 2012 when he had nine touchdowns, but he simply doesn't do enough in this offense anymore. He's a low-end TE2 at best.
Fantasy Upside
Kyle Rudolph was able to stay healthy last season, and led the team in receiving touchdowns (five). He was second on the team in receptions (49) and yards (495) as well, so he clearly has a big role in this offense.
Fantasy Downside
Even though Rudolph's team numbers were good, his overall stats left a lot to be desired. The targets in the passing game will mostly go to Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell, and there's just not a lot of passing targets in this offense.
Bottom Line
There's enough talent at the tight end position to not go with Rudolph.
Week 17 vs. Green Bay
Kyle Rudolph has had some decent games this season, but his best game came against the Packers (his opponent this week). He finished with 106 yards and a touchdown on six receptions that game. It's unlikely he does that again, but this game is a favorable matchup for Rudolph. He'll be a low-end TE1 play.
Week 16 vs. New York Giants
Kyle Rudolph had a quiet afternoon last week, despite a big day from Teddy Bridgewater. The Vikings tight end had just 21 yards on two receptions after a string of some decent performances.
This week he'll face a Giants defense that has allowed the most receptions, most touchdowns (tied) and second-most yards to tight ends this season. Despite the great matchup, it's hard to view Rudolph as anything more than a TE2 play.
Week 15 vs. Chicago
Kyle Rudolph has averaged about 60 yards over his last four games, which is pretty good considering the Vikings' poor passing offense. He's not likely to have a big performance, so that' why we only view him as a TE2 this week against Chicago.
Week 14 at Arizona
Kyle Rudolph had three receptions for 13 yards last week. It's hard to take anything away from Minnesota's last game on offense because everyone did poorly. As for Rudolph, he's been up-and-down this season, but mostly down. He'll be a TE2 option this week in a not-so-great matchup.
Kyle Rudolph vs. Seattle
Kyle Rudolph has had back-to-back games of decent production. He finally broke out of his two-catch cycle with minimal impact. He's still a hard option to trust, but he's becoming a bit more involved in the offense. He doesn't get a great matchup this week, and should be viewed as a very low-end TE1.
Week 12 at Atlanta
Kyle Rudolph had a breakout game last week, going off for 106 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. After being dormant for most of the season, we finally saw what Rudolph can do when he gets the ball. We expect Rudolph's production to go back down this week, though. He's a talented player, but he just doesn't get fed the ball. He should be viewed as a TE2.
