Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings and TE Kyle Rudolph have agreed to terms on a 4-year, $36 million contract extension, a source told ESPN's @AdamSchefter. https://t.co/nYLnXAe4X9 — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 11, 2019

The Case

When you think of the Minnesota Vikings offense, the first two players that come to mind is the dynamic duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen at wide receiver. Unfortunately, the Vikings have never had another weapon that struck fear in opposing defenses, and that includes tight end, Kyle Rudolph.

Rudolph has started 104 of 112 games played for the Vikings. Over his eight seasons, he has totaled 386 receptions for 3,787 yards (9.8 yards per catch). Both totals are the most by any tight end drafted in his 2011 draft class. Since his rookie season in 2011, no Vikings receiver has caught more touchdowns than Rudolph’s 41, and only running back Adrian Peterson (45) has scored more.

The veteran tight end has been voted to the Pro Bowl twice and even was named MVP in his first Pro Bowl in 2012. Rudolph is noted more for his steady play than his superior receiving skills. The Vikings tight end has only finished a matchup with 100 receiving yards or more three times since entering the league in 2011. Rudolph has also only had three games in his career in which he caught more than one touchdown.

Rudolph was a fantasy bust last season. He finished with four touchdowns last season, which is the lowest total of his career when he played all 16 games. Also, take into the account that half of that total was produced in a two-touchdown effort in Week 16 after most fantasy football owners had already given up on him. He had 11 games in which he failed to surpass five receptions, 50 receiving yards or score a touchdown. Fantasy owners were not pleased with Kyle Rudolph last season.

Nevertheless, the Vikings signed the soon-to-be 30-year-old tight end to a four-year, $36 million contract extension this past offseason. Additionally, Minnesota drafted tight end Irv Smith Jr. with the 50th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Vikings are set to utilize the use of multiple tight end sets and expand the tight end roles in Minnesota’s new offensive system being installed by new assistant head coach/offensive advisor Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

The Verdict

Rudolph has barely reached the low-end TE1 tier in fantasy in the last few seasons, and with the Vikings adding rookie tight end Irv Smith, there will be a continuation of a dip in his production in 2019.

Both tight ends will likely be on the field together a lot this season, which makes the Vikings offense difficult to defend with the number of weapons the offense possesses. However, it will be intriguing to see how Rudolph’s role evolves as he approaches his 30s when most players are heading on the downside of their careers.

The situation dictates that there will be a lot of sharing of touches and subsequently, fantasy production. Both of those ingredients lead to Rudolph being a tight end to avoid in your 2019 fantasy football drafts.