Irv Smith Jr.: Early waiver wire option in Week 10

Could second-year tight Irv Smith Jr. be establishing himself as a viable option in fantasy football? One could infer that after he had two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.

The former Alabama Crismon Tide standout did not put up any amazing numbers on Sunday — four receptions for 10 yards. However, the fact that two of those catches were for touchdowns is positive news for fantasy football managers.

As a rookie last season, Smith Jr. only had 36 receptions (47 targets) for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He scored those touchdowns in Week 11 and Week 15. Coincidentally, Smith Jr. had the same stat line in those games as he did against Detroit.

Heading into Sunday’s contest, Smith Jr. only had 11 receptions for 149 yards. But he had back-to-back performances in Weeks 5 and 6, where he recorded four receptions on five targets. In those two games against Green Bay and Seattle, he scored 6.4 and 7.5 fantasy points, which is top-20 value.

That being said, should you rush to put in a waiver claim on the young tight end? Not yet. Even though the two touchdowns in the red zone are good, we need to see if Smith Jr. will start to pick up more receiving yards and get a consistent target share. As of now, he is currently rostered in six percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

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