Irv Smith Jr. (TE – MIN) came into the league in 2019 as a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings. He was a top-rated TE prospect and highly thought of in the NFL draft community. He was noted for being a sharp route running, menacing receiving TE. He has good ball tracking and is a threat for yards after the catch—all the makings of a top-tier player.
Every offseason, there is hope that Smith will finally live up to his high expectations and explode onto the fantasy football scene. In 2019 he was a rookie, and we gave him a break because Kyle Rudolph (TE – MIN) was on the team. In 2020 the Vikings did the unthinkable and re-signed Rudolph to a 4-year, $36 million contract extension. Splitting targets as the second tight end is not conducive to top-end fantasy numbers.
Finally, in March 2021, the Vikings cut ties with Rudolph creating a prime opportunity for Smith to step into the starting role and become the fantasy football monster we all knew he could be. Then in the preseason finale against the Chiefs, Smith injured his meniscus, which required surgery and turned out to be season-ending.
Irv Smith Jr. (TE – MIN) came into the league in 2019 as a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings. He was a top-rated TE prospect and highly thought of in the NFL draft community. He was noted for being a sharp route running, menacing receiving TE. He has good ball tracking and is a threat for yards after the catch—all the makings of a top-tier player.
Every offseason, there is hope that Smith will finally live up to his high expectations and explode onto the fantasy football scene. In 2019 he was a rookie, and we gave him a break because Kyle Rudolph (TE – MIN) was on the team. In 2020 the Vikings did the unthinkable and re-signed Rudolph to a 4-year, $36 million contract extension. Splitting targets as the second tight end is not conducive to top-end fantasy numbers.
Finally, in March 2021, the Vikings cut ties with Rudolph creating a prime opportunity for Smith to step into the starting role and become the fantasy football monster we all knew he could be. Then in the preseason finale against the Chiefs, Smith injured his meniscus, which required surgery and turned out to be season-ending.
So here we are in 2022, and Smith is healthy and ready to prove he still has what it takes to dominate in the NFL. His path to targets is wide open, with Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ) moving his talents to the Jets in free agency. Last season Conklin put up a respectable stat line of 61 receptions, 593 yards, and three touchdowns. Even with Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) and Adam Thielen (WR – MIN) as the top two targets, there is a lot of meat on the bone in that Vikings passing game.
Going Forward
In Smith’s first two seasons, he stayed relatively healthy, so it’s not like he should be tagged as an injury-prone player. Last season was a fluke injury, and he elected to have surgery to repair his meniscus rather than just taking it out. The long-term vision should lengthen his career and projects well for Smith.
The beauty of Smith in 2022 is his value is at an all-time low. According to the FantasyPros Dynasty Trade Value chart, he’s worth a third-round rookie pick. Super nice value for the upside he represents. Smith is ranked as the PPR TE 17 in FantsyPros consensus dynasty rankings. In re-draft, he falls to TE 30 in the PPR re-draft rankings. There is almost no danger in taking a chance on him later in drafts as a TE2 with upside.
This season he’s primed to be a “come out of nowhere” player. His talent didn’t disappear, and he has just had some obstacles get in his way that will not be there this season. Shrewd fantasy players look past recency bias and remember why he was considered a top-end prospect. With all that being said, even his most fervent believers are struggling to keep the faith. This is truly a make-or-break season for Irv Smith in 2022. If he suffers another significant injury or fails to make the jump into TE1 territory, it will be time to cut bait and move on.
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Gary Zamarripa is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Gary, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @garyzamFF.