Fantasy Upside
In his sixth season last year, Kyle Rudolph set career-highs in receptions (83) and yards (840). The arrival of Sam Bradford did wonders for Rudolph, as the quarterback routinely looked to his tight end as a security blanket. Rudolph actually led the Vikings in targets with 132, which tied for 15th among all receivers.
And while it wasn’t a career-high, Rudolph’s 7 touchdowns were an impressive number, and also led the team in 2016. He was the second-highest fantasy scorer at his position a year ago.
Fantasy Downside
An improved running game should take away some of the Vikings’ need to throw short passes, which is where Rudolph shined the most. Also, if Stefon Diggs is able to stay healthy, he could see some of those targets instead of Rudolph.
2017 Bottom Line
While Rudolph likely won’t see quite as many targets as he did a year ago, he’s still projected to be heavily involved in the offense. He’s in a scheme that favors the tight end position, and his ability to score in the red zone makes him a threat to score most weeks. He’s not an elite option at the tight end position, but he’s worthy of being an every-week starter. He’s worth a selection in the mid-round range.
