Minnesota Vikings trade for TE Chris Herndon

The Minnesota Vikings depth chart at tight end was awful after losing Irv Smith Jr. with a meniscus tear. Smith Jr.’s timetable to return is very much up in the air at this point, but there is no doubt they needed help at the position. To fill the void, the Vikings have traded an unknown draft pick for New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Herndon showed promise in his rookie year, when he caught 39-of-56 targets for 502 yards and four touchdowns, but then an injury kept him out of the 2019 season and las year he couldn’t get anything going and slipped down the depth chart after the Jets signed Tyler Kroft this offseason.

Kroft ran with the first team all preseason and should be a viable TE2 in fantasy while Herndon will at least get a chance to start anew in Minnesota. The Vikings have Tyler Conklin as their No. 1 tight end at this point, and he will likely hold down that job for the time being. Herndon will get a chance to win work though. This situation could easily devolve into neither seeing enough targets to have any value in fantasy football though.