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Kyle Rudolph (2 Viewers)

Rotoworld:

In two seasons with the Vikings, TE Kyle Rudolph has caught 20-of-23 red zone targets.
That's a whopping 87 percent red zone catch rate for Rudolph. During that same span Rob Gronkowski caught 65 percent, Tony Gonzalez 63 percent, and both Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten caught 53 percent. While his red zone production is certainly impressive, Rudolph still lacks the consistency of an elite fantasy option. We like him as a low-end TE1.

Source: Scout.com
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Faust said:
Rotoworld:

In two seasons with the Vikings, TE Kyle Rudolph has caught 20-of-23 red zone targets.
That's a whopping 87 percent red zone catch rate for Rudolph. During that same span Rob Gronkowski caught 65 percent, Tony Gonzalez 63 percent, and both Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten caught 53 percent. While his red zone production is certainly impressive, Rudolph still lacks the consistency of an elite fantasy option. We like him as a low-end TE1.

Source: Scout.com
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Faust said:
Rotoworld:

In two seasons with the Vikings, TE Kyle Rudolph has caught 20-of-23 red zone targets.
That's a whopping 87 percent red zone catch rate for Rudolph. During that same span Rob Gronkowski caught 65 percent, Tony Gonzalez 63 percent, and both Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten caught 53 percent. While his red zone production is certainly impressive, Rudolph still lacks the consistency of an elite fantasy option. We like him as a low-end TE1.

Source: Scout.com
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Uh, yeah. It helps when you've got Adrian Peterson drawing attention. :P

 
Seems like he's a huge bust this year. I only own him in dynasty, but his dependence on touchdowns is obvious. He just isn't a big threat in that offense with Ponder. Is anyone cutting him in redraft? How about in dynasty - is there any hope?

 
I just got him as a throw in for a dynasty trade. The talent is there, but the playcalling isnt. I'm kind of regretting him right now as I think he is too much of a traditional TE to ever be a fantasy stud. I really dont want to hold him for two years waiting for the vikings to get a new QB or he moves on in FA.

 
Ketamine Dreams said:
How about in dynasty - is there any hope?
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I think he's an okay player, but he was very overrated based on his youth and 2012 FF totals.

Over the last 1+ season we've consistently seen that he can't generate a lot of yards and doesn't make any big plays. You can blame that on Ponder, but look at what Cameron is doing in Cleveland. A great player can thrive anywhere. Some of the blame has to fall on Rudolph. He runs a 4.8 40 and simply isn't explosive.

I don't see him as being clearly more valuable than somebody like Jermaine Gresham. What you see is what you get, IMO. He will have flukey big years like Heath Miller and Marcedes Lewis when the breaks fall right for him, but I don't think he's likely to become some kind of dominant force.

 
Ketamine Dreams said:
Seems like he's a huge bust this year. I only own him in dynasty, but his dependence on touchdowns is obvious. He just isn't a big threat in that offense with Ponder. Is anyone cutting him in redraft? How about in dynasty - is there any hope?
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I am thinking of cutting him, But I have Julius Thomas, as well as Jordan Cameron, so it is an easy decision.

 
With so few standout weapons in the passing game you'd think the Vikings would make more use of Rudolph so it's possible last Sunday is a sign of things to come (not to that extent consistently but at least with him being more involved). As long as Ponder isn't the QB I'd feel more confident about Rudolph's chances. But we've seen him vanish before so I don't think he's someone you can feel totally great about.

He was dropped in my league before the bye and I'm debating between dropping Fleener for him. Fleener's been a huge disappointment (again) but I'd really like to have a piece of that Indy passing game if possible.

 
The Vikings game plan is to run Adrian Peterson until his legs are nubs. I don't trust any of the QBs they have on their roster to make any pass catcher worthy of a start.

 
packersfan said:
With so few standout weapons in the passing game you'd think the Vikings would make more use of Rudolph so it's possible last Sunday is a sign of things to come (not to that extent consistently but at least with him being more involved). As long as Ponder isn't the QB I'd feel more confident about Rudolph's chances. But we've seen him vanish before so I don't think he's someone you can feel totally great about.

He was dropped in my league before the bye and I'm debating between dropping Fleener for him. Fleener's been a huge disappointment (again) but I'd really like to have a piece of that Indy passing game if possible.
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Disagree. Their receivers are actually pretty good. Simpson is playing well and Jennings has made some nice catches. Patterson looks good when they get him the ball. Hell even Jarius Wright is decent.

Rudolph's chances are definitely better without Ponder but the Vikes do have other good options in the passing game.

 
Mystery Achiever said:
FWIW "Quarterback Josh Freeman already is a candidate to start in just his second week with the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that he and his coaching staff will determine Monday and Tuesday which quarterback to start before full-squad game-plan installation begins Wednesday."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-freeman-start-point-154849595--nfl.html
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Freeman never exactly relied upon his TE at TB, on the other hand he never had a Rudolph.

It will take him time to get adjusted I'd say... so not loving the instability here.

Also I'm guessing these will go down as garbage time numbers, an aberration.

 
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I think Freeman can only be a positive for Rudolph. He looked great against Carolina. I have no idea why the Vikings don't feature him more. He knows how to use his body and does a great job at going to get the ball. I think he could be a good buy right now. If he shines this weekend in prime time, his price is going to jump.

 
there is no way that freeman can be worse than ponder or cassel even coming off the bench right? plus the matchup on monday vs the giants is pretty good too.

 
Don't see the upgrade for Rudy, first Freeman has a cannon he's going deep, Rudy was better suited for noodle arm Ponder. They guy you want is Simpson, he be the #1 WW pick up come Tuesday.

 
I'm in no way saying his fantasy points shouldn't count or that he sucks, so please don't try to start an argument.

Wasn't his touchdown and last big chunk of yardage last week a little bit fluky? Broke a couple tackles against a defense that most likely had second or third stringers left with Carolina up 35-3 with a minute left.

Just watched it again and it seems the DBS kind of gave up half way.

Perhaps the best news is that Rudolph got nine targets.

 
Ponder will be throwing to him week 8. I have to play him for Gates' bye, so I guess I am (relatively) happy about that. :shrug:

ETA- Apparently it is expected, but not 100%, that Freeman won't be cleared for this week,

 
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Well I am stuck with KR in several leagues, and don't have any better options (fricken Cook!). I am hoping that Ponder or Cassel get the start. Freeman missed Randolph on a couple of juicy opportunities vs the GMen (Vikes were in 11 personal in one and motioned KR across the formation; he ran a short crossing route ahead if single coverage). I have more faith that Ponder or Cassell will capitalize on the opporttunities.

 
Kyle Rudolph has been diagnosed with a broken foot, and could be sidelined "as much as a month."
FOX's Jay Glazer reports Rudolph has avoided a Lisfranc sprain, and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks. The "as much as a month" comes from coach Leslie Frazier, who also admitted the Vikings aren't really sure of Rudolph's exact timetable. With Minnesota's season in the tank, it's quite possible Rudolph will eventually end up on injured reserve. It leaves John Carlson as the starting tight end. Considering how inconsistent the far-more talented Rudolph has been in the Vikings' scattershot offense, Carlson will likely struggle for TE2 value.
 
Andy Dufresne said:
Kyle Rudolph has been diagnosed with a broken foot, and could be sidelined "as much as a month."
FOX's Jay Glazer reports Rudolph has avoided a Lisfranc sprain, and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks. The "as much as a month" comes from coach Leslie Frazier, who also admitted the Vikings aren't really sure of Rudolph's exact timetable. With Minnesota's season in the tank, it's quite possible Rudolph will eventually end up on injured reserve. It leaves John Carlson as the starting tight end. Considering how inconsistent the far-more talented Rudolph has been in the Vikings' scattershot offense, Carlson will likely struggle for TE2 value.
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This can't bode well for Peterson can it? The only positive I can see if that Carlson is a slightly better run blocker and won't be going out for many passes.

 
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Kyle Rudolph is the one and only read that Ponder is willing/able to make in a pass play, so no this can't bode well for AP.

 
Rotoworld:

ESPN Vikings blogger Ben Goessling expects Kyle Rudolph to have a bigger role under new OC Norv Turner.
Rudolph will be talked about plenty next summer as a potential breakout player at the tight end position, just as Jordan Cameron was last year under Turner and Rob Chudzinski in Cleveland. Turner has gotten big years out of Antonio Gates and Cameron over the past decade. Rudolph could be next in line. He was on pace for a 60-632-6 receiving line before breaking his foot this past season. If the Vikings can find a quarterback, Rudolph will have a chance to best that.

Source: ESPN.com
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Rotoworld:

Kyle Rudolph - TE - Vikings
Vikings GM Rick Spielman admitted he wasn't paying much attention to tight ends at the Combine.
"We have pretty good tight ends, so I wasn't really focusing on that," Spielman said. It's a vote of confidence for both the health and potential of Kyle Rudolph, whose 2013 campaign was cut short by a Week 9 broken foot. With tight ends guru Norv Turner now calling the shots and Rudolph in a contract year, the stars are aligning. He's a serious breakout candidate.

Source: ESPN.com
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Rotoworld:

New Vikings OC Norv Turner's offenses have produced a top-seven fantasy tight end in six of the last seven seasons.
Granted they were Jordan Cameron and Antonio Gates, but Turner has long funneled much of his passing game the tight end's way. He got a top-15 fantasy season out of plodder Eric Johnson in San Francisco, and two top-nine finishes from Randy McMichael with Miami. Turner also coached Jay Novacek in Dallas. For more analysis like this, read Evan Silva's NFC Notes at the link below.

Source: NFC Team-by-Team Notes
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APRIL 2, 2014,

by ARIF HASAN7 comments
I had debated even posting this, but because the offseason is already slow there was no reason not to.

In speaking with Chris Tomasson, one of the better Vikings reporters on the beat these days, Kyle Rudolph called himself the best tight end in the NFL.

Kyle Rudolph was asked Wednesday to name the NFL’s best tight end. He didn’t hesitate with his response.
“Me,” he said.
. . .
“There’s a ton of talented tight ends in our game,” Rudolph said after an event promoting Second Harvest Heartland launch and its Great American Milk Drive in St. Paul. “You have guys that play at a high level, like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Witten and Vernon Davis. But I would put myself up there with them.”
There’s not really much to say about this. He isn’t, but I don’t really care to contest the point too much. For me, the most interesting thing about this statement was how willing he was to be harsh about himself when I talked to him at training camp last year. He was very critical of his blocking, which had improved significantly at that point, and was very unhappy about his production between the twenties.

It is difficult to compare Rudolph to other top-tier tight ends from a receiving standpoint, given that Brees, Brady, Romo and Kaepernick were all significant parts of their productive capability, but it’s not too much of a stretch to say that he’s not in that tier by any means.

To me, Rudolph’s limited 2013 film (I only looked at the Pittsburgh and Cleveland games for him with any particular scrutiny) doesn’t look as impressive as he would want from a technical perspective. He’s a very deliberate route-runner and he hides his true speed by trying to sharpen up other route-running skills, which means he can’t quite maintain deceptiveness and speed as he goes through the route tree. He slows up at the break and can’t explode out of his route like Davis and Graham can.

His hands are very good, but a little overrated by Vikings fans. He has made some spectacular circus catches and has done more than his fair share of bailing out bad throws, but he’s also dropped easy passes and doesn’t catch the ball with his fingertips as often as he should.

As a blocker, he’s better than both Davis and Graham but that’s not saying much. He is probably better than Witten as well, but he has a long way to go before he can match Gronkowski’s blocking ability. While he has improved a lot as a blocker, he’s still trying to win consistently at the point of attack and usually hits second (less hammer, more nail). He understand leverage, though, and despite his 6’6″ frame has been able to use his strength and footwork to move some players around. That said, he didn’t quite have a feel for the running game and would sometimes miss assignments or block in unfavorable directions without correcting.

As both a route-runner and blocker, he’s late off the snap, sometimes incredibly late. It puts him at a massive disadvantage and should probably be the first thing to correct.

Of course, he’s a natural red zone threat, and not just because of his height or ability to climb the ladder. He locates the ball easily, has great positioning, good timing and attacks the ball at the catch point. His strength allows him to fight for contested balls in traffic and like any good tight end, knows how to use his length like a basketball player.

But if he wants to be the best, there’s more to it than that. I strongly suspect Norv will better use him than Musgrave and attack the seam with more consistency, perhaps even using the shake routes that have made Vernon Davis’ career. This should hide some of his weaknesses and highlight some of his hidden strengths.

Fans generally have an odd reaction when players call themselves elite. People derided Eli Manning and Joe Flacco for calling themselves elite (and they did so with the best timing on the planet), but praise players like Robert Griffin III and Derek Carr for saying similar things.

When Erin Henderson argued that he was the best fit for the middle linebacker position and was “pissed” about the disrespect at the beginning of the preseason, fans castigated him for what is a fairly normal and even desirable quality in a player. Here, Rudolph wants to be the best tight end league and will play to prove it. Fine by me, but he’s not there.

This isn’t to say Rudolph is a bad tight end. He’s very good, but he also happened to compare himself to the best tight ends in the NFL and invited the comparisons. Rudolph’s growth as tight end, both as a blocker and receiver has been extraordinary, and one of the most underrated things about him: he’s managed to improve nearly every facet of his game without stopping, which is rarer than you might think.

It’s not a bland compliment or a platitude about hard work; Rudolph is unique in his ability to consistently improve in every area of his game and I don’t think there is another player on the roster that shows this universal ability to absorb new techniques. Fans, analysts and personnel executives consistently talk about “upside” as if it were a purely physical thing. It isn’t. Rudolph’s nearly unlimited potential comes from his ability to learn new concepts and techniques and integrate them into his muscle memory faster than almost anyone I’ve seen. If he continues, he could very well end up in the class he put himself in.

But not yet. http://vikingsterritory.com/
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Rotoworld:

Norv Turner's Browns used "12" personnel on 36.9 percent of their offensive plays last season, second-most in the NFL.

The two-tight end formation helped Jordan Cameron to his predictable breakout. Now Turner is running the offense for Minnesota, meaning Kyle Rudolph projects as a major beneficiary. The contract-year tight end will be on the field for every snap, and will be freed up to run more routes while guys like Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford and Allen Reisner compete for blocking snaps. Rudolph has flashed Gronkian red-zone chops in his career, compiling 15 touchdowns in 39 games.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Jun 16 - 12:08 PM
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Rotoworld:

Kyle Rudolph - TE - Vikings

Kyle Rudolph has spent "a lot of time" this offseason watching game tape of Jordan Cameron, who broke out last year under new Vikings OC Norv Turner.

Rudolph has also watched cutups of Jay Novacek, Turner's tight end with the Cowboys. Turner will run the same scheme in Minnesota. "So much of it is the exact same thing (Turner)'s been running for 20 years," noted Rudolph. "It's the same plays." Randy McMichael and Antonio Gates also enjoyed career-best years on Norv's watch. Rudolph could be a bargain at his ninth-round ADP.

Source: USA Today

Jul 8 - 2:37 PM
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Rotoworld:

Kyle Rudolph - TE - Vikings

Kyle Rudolph has dropped 15 pounds this offseason with an eye toward being more active in the passing game under new OC Norv Turner.

Rudolph played last season at 275 pounds, but is now at 260 after focusing on his diet and workout routine during the offseason. He's also been working on his receiving skills at Larry Fitzgerald's annual training camp in Minnesota. Fitzgerald's trainer has specifically been working with Rudolph to help him with his speed in and out of breaks. Rudolph is a big-time breakout candidate.

Source: ESPN.com

Jul 8 - 2:50 PM
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I think the source article for the rotoworld excerpt and commentary.

http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/7569/kyle-rudolph-slims-down-before-big-year

Slightly different from the USA Today excerpt.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/vikings/2014/07/08/kyle-rudolph-norv-turner-minnesota/12364919/

Rudolph one of five players names by Bucky Brooks in an article on potential beneficiaries of new coordinators in 2014.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000358346/article/joe-flacco-mike-wallace-among-newcoordinator-beneficiaries

"It's not a coincidence that Jordan Cameron, Antonio Gates and Jay Novacek all enjoyed Pro Bowl seasons under Norv Turner. The Vikings' new offensive coordinator loves to feature the tight end prominently in a vertical passing game. Simply consider the numbers. During the six seasons Gates played for Turner in San Diego, the tight end recorded 377 receptions for 4,943 yards and 49 touchdowns. Novacek's numbers in three seasons with Turner as his offensive coordinator: 171 receptions for 1,739 yards and 11 scores. (Remember, that was a different era -- those numbers are legit.) And with Turner calling plays in Cleveland last season, Cameron caught 80 passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns.

Thus, it's reasonable to expect Rudolph will be a big part of the Vikings' game plan as the primary target between the hashes. Checking in at 6-foot-6 and 258 pounds with long arms and big mitts, Rudolph is a masterful post-up player with a feel for creating space over the middle through physicality and toughness. Additionally, he is a viable red-zone target with a knack for working free near the end line on seams, post routes and corners. With each of those concepts featured heavily in Turner's scheme, Rudolph definitely should set career-best marks this season."

* I would add that Antonio Gates and Jordan Cameron are very talented and obviously could have excelled with a lot of OCs, so we shouldn't expect Rudolph to replicate their production merely due to Turner's presence. Nonethless, given how he has historically incorporated TEs into his scheme as receivers, I still view that as a positive takeaway point.

 
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I get the comparison because of Norv, but personally I don't see Rudolph's natural skill set very similar to Cameron or Gates. I consider both of those guys really good vertical route runners down the field. I think Rudolph's strength is more in making himself a shorter range target in traffic. I do think Rudolph is the kind of kid who will work his butt off though if that's what it takes to become the player needed to excel in the new system.

 
Rotoworld:

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune said "all the signs point" to Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph breaking out this season.

Rudolph has been diligent in his recovery from the broken foot that sidelined him for the final eight games last season, reportedly dropping 15 pounds and working on his technique in order to be quicker out of his breaks. He should also get a big bump from the arrival of OC Norv Turner, who helped Jordan Cameron break out last season. Rudolph is a bargain at his current ninth-round ADP.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Jul 19 - 10:06 AM
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Rudolph signed a 5 year extension ($36.5 million) on Sunday, reported by Jay Glazer.

Pending details on structure and guaranteed money, initial figures looks like he becomes one of the five highest paid TEs in the league (incentives could raise that to top 3).

 
Unfortunate news especially with Teddy taking over. Would have been PPR gold.

NFL.com's Albert Breer reports Kyle Rudolph (groin) needs surgery, and will be sidelined "about" six weeks.

Rudolph is likely undergoing a sports-hernia operation. It's a brutal blow for the Vikings' Adrian Peterson-less offense, and removes a big target for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Rudolph has looked sluggish this season, and likely hasn't been at 100 percent all year. Considering the current league-wide depth at tight end, Rudolph can be dropped in 12-14 team re-draft leagues. The Vikes will roll with a combination of Rhett Ellison and MarQueis Gray.
 
Dwayne Allen worth the swap for Rudolph? He seems to be hit or miss though with Fleener around.

 
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