FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 3/20/2013 1:56pm et

Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said the team wants to take some snaps off of TE Kyle Rudolph in 2013 after rarely leaving the field last season. The coaching staff believes the increased workload hurt his productivity.

Huddle Up: A healthy John Carlson should be able to take some of Rudolph's snaps without a significant drop in productivity at the position, but reducing Rudolph's on-field time also takes a bite out of his fantasy value. Then again, Rudolph's primary contribution came as a red-zone guy so as long as that role isn't reduced the hit should be minimal.

Posted: 1/28/2013 3:49pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 27. He was named the game's most valuable player.

Huddle Up: Not a bad outing for Rudolph; clearly he followed the lead set by his teammate Adrian Peterson about playing hard in the Pro Bowl. Doesn't hurt that defenses mostly take the day off, either.

Posted: 1/27/2013 11:23pm et

Minnesota Vikings QB Kyle Rudolph caught 5 passes for a game-high 122 yards and a TD Sunday evening as the NFC rolled a a 62-35 Pro Bowl win in Honolulu.

Huddle Up: For the masses who had something better to do with their Sunday night, Rudolph edged NFC teammate Russell Wilson for MVP honors in a contest where defense was in short supply but the players appeared to extend more effort after last season's all-star debacle.

Posted: 12/12/2012 11:24pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (shoulder) was limited in practice Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Huddle Up: Rudolph's fantasy owners got burned big-time in Week 14 as the TE failed to catch a pass on a surprising 2 targets. In each of the the previous 3 games, Rudolph had had at least 51 yards and a TD, and fantasy GMs who are going back to this well are most definitely hoping for the former rather than the latter this Sunday.

Posted: 12/11/2012 1:42pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph had zero catches in the team's Week 14 win, and he was targeted just two times by QB Christian Ponder. It's the third game this year that Rudolph hasn't recorded a reception, although he leads the team with eight touchdowns and is second with 45 catches. Head coach Leslie Frazier said the team's focus is to continue to look at Rudolph, though. 'It wasn't like we weren't looking for him,' Frazier said. 'They did a good job of covering him. Kyle's been a big part of our pass offense throughout the season and we won today without him having any catches. If you had told me that would be the case, I would have said, 'That's not going to happen because we're going to target him and he's going to have catches.''

Huddle Up: The Vikings seem perfectly content to ride the amazing legs of Adrian Peterson and his 7-game 100-yard rushing streak as Christian Ponder has thrown for fewer than 160 yards in 4 of the past 5 games, making it hard to trust any Minnesota pass-catcher on a week-to-week basis.

Posted: 11/28/2012 2:53pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (shoulder) is expected to miss practice Wednesday, Nov. 28, because of a shoulder strain.

Huddle Up: Rudolph is concussion symptom-free, but a strained shoulder is cause for concern. Check his status through the rest of the week to see if he might miss the game.

Posted: 11/25/2012 5:56pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph left the game in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Week 12 contest and didn't return. He was being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Huddle Up: Rudolph and Adrian Peterson were about the only bright spots in the game. The second-year TE caught 5 passes for a team-high 55 yards and the team's only TD. If it is a concussion, as expected, a week of tests and evaluations awaits Rudolph.

Posted: 11/6/2012 1:02pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph was on the field for all 54 of the team's offensive snaps in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks, but he was targeted only twice. Both passes fell incomplete.

Huddle Up: Rudolph was a hot fantasy commodity after 6 weeks when he had compiled 25 catches for 225 yards and 5 TDs. In the 3 games since, Rudolph has managed all of 2 grabs for 17 yards and no TDs. Rudolph's struggles have mirrored those of QB Christian Ponder, and until the quarterback turns things around, don't expect Rudolph to, either.

Posted: 10/29/2012 1:49pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph had two receptions for 17 yards in Week 8; however, he was essentially a non-factor other than a 12-yard reception on a third-down play in which he was covered by Tampa Bay Buccaneers DE Michael Bennett. QB Christian Ponder didn't throw Rudolph's way again until a quick out for five yards on the final drive as the Buccaneers used safeties to match up when Rudolph was detached from formation and ran linebackers underneath him in zone. Ponder appears to be increasingly skittish about throwing Rudolph the ball when he's covered.

Huddle Up: Rudolph was a popular sleeper pick in fantasy drafts, that appeared to be well on his way to fulfilling his owners wishes. However over the last 2 games Rudolph has only been targeted 6 times. His owners should definitely be concerned.

Posted: 9/28/2012 3:39am et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph was limited in practice Thursday, Sept. 27.

Huddle Up: Rudolph missed Wednesday's practice with his quad injury so he's at least trending in the right direction. Expect him to get a full session in on Friday; if he doesn't, there's at least some cause for concern in regards to his availability against the Lions.

Posted: 9/27/2012 3:34pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph is participating in practice Thursday, Sept. 27.

Huddle Up: Rudolph sat out yesterday's practice with a quadriceps injury, but he's back on the field and should be good to go for Sunday's game in Detroit.

Posted: 9/26/2012 1:40pm et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (thigh) will not participate in practice Wednesday, Sept. 26, because of a sore thigh.

Huddle Up: This sounds more precautionary than anything. Rudolph is an integral part of that Minnesota offense now, and they want to keep him healthy. Unless the injury is aggravated or worse than reported, he should be fine to start this weekend.

Posted: 8/18/2012 11:59am et

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (head) left the preseason game Friday, Aug. 17, against the Buffalo Bills due to a head injury. However, he said he passed all concussion tests and is fine.

Huddle Up: Rudolph pronounced himself "fine" after the game. That's good news as the second-year tight end is on most "sleeper" lists this season. Reports out of Vikings training camp are that QB Christian Ponder looks for Rudolph's way often in practice.