Irv Smith Jr. (TE, MIN) - Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED: 6% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: As great a thing as it'd be to have more than one (Travis Kelce) reliable tight end to play weekly in our fantasy leagues, that's not the truth. This is Kelce's world, and we just live in it. Other than the Chiefs stud, we find ourselves looking for streaming options at the position more often than not these days. This week's target: Vikings' sophomore Irv Smith Jr.

Smith has already bested his rookie-season touchdowns (3 to 2) and is on pace to finish with more receiving yards on fewer receptions over the full 2021 season, making him a much more efficient player than he was last year. That doesn't mean Smith's numbers are otherworldly, mind you. Smith had to take advantage of Kyle Rudolph's (foot) injury to be put in a prime position to rack up fantasy points.

This past Sunday marked Smith's second game of the year with 15+ PPR points and his fourth with 10+ through 2021. He had back-to-back 10 and 11-point performances in W5-6, he scored 15 in W9 (2-of-4 for 10 yards but 2 TDs) and he just put up a 4-of-4 game for 63 yards and another score good for a season-high 16.3 PPR points.

Next week's matchup should be a booming one for Minny's tight end. The Vikings face the fourth-worst defense against fantasy TEs in Chicago's. Smith's upside should stay high for the second week in a row, making him a more-than-viable streaming option for any fantasy GM in deeper leagues, and also shallow ones if Rudolph keeps missing time.

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