The Viking Age
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2018 fantasy football forecast: Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph

By Adam Carlson

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 23: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass against Glover Quin #27 of the Detroit Lions for a touchdown during the second quarter at Ford Field on November 23, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 23: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass against Glover Quin #27 of the Detroit Lions for a touchdown during the second quarter at Ford Field on November 23, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Rudolph is among the top tight ends in fantasy football during 2018, but statistics should fans expect from the Minnesota Vikings pass catcher.

With the NFL teams like the Minnesota Vikings getting ready to report to training camp after organized team activities and rookie minicamp out of the way, fans are getting anxious as ever for the 2018 season.

Accompanying the NFL season is fantasy football, where football fanatics everywhere put their sports knowledge on the line against friends or strangers with either bragging rights or with some money on the line.

Knowing who to draft in your fantasy leagues is essential. Sometimes, prospect value can vary wildly or gut feelings about players can make an individual more appealing to one manager than another. For that reason, The Viking Age is going to take a look at each top fantasy prospect from the Vikings and discuss their draft value as well as estimated projections.

First, let’s take a look at the fantasy stats for Kyle Rudolph in a standard scoring league the last two seasons according to FantasyData.com:

  • 2016: 83 catches for 840 yards and 7 touchdowns – 126 points (3rd)
  • 2017: 57 catches for 532 yards and 8 touchdowns – 101.2 points (6th)

It’s safe to assume that Rudolph should be a top 10 tight end, possibly even top 5 if you like the situation he has entering the season. Pairing him with quarterback Kirk Cousins should have his potential definitely within the top 5 of his position, especially considering how much Jordan Reed got the ball in Washington.

However, experts don’t seem to agree with that sentiment. Here are some of the projections for Kyle Rudolph during the 2018 fantasy football season according to experts around the internet:

It seems like 8th to 9th among tight ends is the place experts are putting Rudolph, with NFL.com really not liking the situation he has and placing him as a backup in most leagues after projecting him with a 20 point loss from the previous year.

Rudolph will be chosen after Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, and the elite tight ends, but he should be among the top players at the position and could be a steal of a start in fantasy leagues because of his lower positional ranking.

ESPN has Kyle Rudolph as their 99th player on their Top 200 non-PPR rankings, meaning he should be approximately an 8th round selection in your fantasy league assuming a 12-person league or later in smaller leagues.

However, using as early as a 7th round pick on Rudolph would be smart. By then, a roster should have a quarterback and 5 wide receivers/running backs. Having Rudolph as a starting tight end would provide stability since he hasn’t missed a game in the past three seasons.

As far as a projection, TVA predicts Rudolph to be on track for a 112 point season in non-PPR leagues and 176 points in PPR. Cousins will give him an amazing year and will be his security blanket during plays when he is under pressure, allowing him to rack up catches and make big plays.

Next: Predicting the Vikings 2018 record

If you’re looking for a tight end in fantasy, there is no harm in looking at Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings and waiting as other managers select the top-tier tight ends. Not only will waiting net owners a consistent contributor at the position but it will allow for more top players at other positions to be selected.

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